GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares gain on signs lockdowns could ease

* European futures point to stronger open
* Regional equities markets broadly positive
* Lockdown endings give investors some relief

By Stanley White and Scott Murdoch
TOKYO/HONG KONG, April 28 (Reuters) - Most Asian shares made
gains while U.S. stock futures fell on Tuesday amid choppy trade
as a renewed decline in oil prices partially offset optimism
about the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.34%. China's CSI300 index .CSI300
rose 0.65%. South Korean shares .KS11 gained 0.6%, while
Japan's Nikkei .N225 was little changed.
Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 were up 0.11%, German DAX
futures FDXc1 climbed 0.28%, and FTSE futures FFIc1 rose
0.27%, suggesting European shares could rise at the start of
trade.
Oil futures slumped after the largest U.S. oil
exchange-traded fund said it would sell all its front-month
crude contracts to avoid further losses as prices collapse due
to concerns over weak demand, oversupply and a shortage of
storage capacity. Shares of United States Oil Fund LP USO.P , the country's
largest crude ETF, fell more than 16% on Monday, after it said
it would sell all of its front-month crude contracts to avoid a
repeat of the heavy losses suffered last week. U.S. crude CLc1 skidded 13.6% to $11.06 a barrel while
Brent crude LCOc1 fell 4.4% to $19.11 per barrel.
As more countries allow businesses to re-open following
lockdowns to contain coronavirus outbreaks, some investors are
hoping the worst may be over for the world economy, but others
remained cautious, especially as a vaccine has yet to be
developed. From Italy to New Zealand, governments announced the easing
of restrictions, while Britain said it was too early to relax
them there. New York state is not expected to reopen for weeks.
"There is optimism about parts of the U.S. and Europe
starting to open up, that is making every one feel confident but
the hard data is only starting to come out now, we haven't seen
exactly what the impact will be," Karen Jorritsma, Australian
equities head at RBC Capital Markets, said.
A rush of capital raisings underway in Australia held
investors attention in the Asian region on Tuesday, Elizabeth
Tian, Citigroup's equity derivatives director, said.
Refinitiv data showed it was the busiest period for the
Australian capital markets since the 2009 recovery from the
global financial crisis when companies rushed to restore their
balance sheets.
Listed companies have raised A$13.2 billion ($9.00
billion) since February, with Lendlease LLC.AX in the process
of raising A$1.15 billion on Tuesday, a day after National
Australia Bank NAB.AX raised A$3.5 billion ($2.26 billion).
"Now it feels like funds are putting money to work in the
raisings at decent discounts here locally," Tian said.
The U.S. dollar and the euro were little changed as traders
refrained from taking big positions before a U.S. Federal
Reserve policy decision due on Wednesday and a European Central
Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday.
The Fed has already announced a raft of measures to cushion
the blow to the economy from the coronavirus pandemic and the
U.S. central bank is expected to stay on hold this week.
The ECB is likely to extend its debt purchases to include
junk bonds and provide a backstop for corporate financing.
Major central banks have responded to the economic slump
caused by the coronavirus by slashing interest rates, buying
more government debt, and taking steps to increase lending to
small companies.
The slide in oil prices knocked the Australian dollar
AUD=D3 off a six-week high of $0.6457. The Aussie is often
traded as a proxy for risk because it has close links to global
commodities and China's economy.
The New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 also fell amid speculation
the country's central bank could cut interest rates into
negative territory later this year. Gold XAU= , a safe-haven often bought during times of
uncertainty, fell 1.25% to $1,697 per ounce. The precious metal
weakened for a third consecutive trading session, signaling a
recovery in risk appetite.
($1 = 1.5497 Australian dollars)

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