* MSCI Asia ex-Japan down 0.16%, erases early gains
* European shares expected to trade lower
* Senior Iran official killed in U.S. air strike
* Brent crude surges 3%; gold up 0.84%
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Andrew Galbraith
SHANGHAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares slipped on Friday,
erasing early gains, while gold shone and oil prices spiked
after U.S. air strikes in Iraq killed a top Iranian commander,
heightening geopolitical tensions.
Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite
Quds Force and top Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
were killed early on Friday in a U.S. air strike on their convoy
at Baghdad airport, prompting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei to vow harsh revenge.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS had touched its highest point since June 15,
2018 in early trade, but fell after reports of the air strike
emerged. It was last down 0.16%.
European shares were set to follow their Asian counterparts
lower. Pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 shed 0.66% to
3,757, German DAX futures FDXc1 were down 0.6% to 13,303.5 and
FTSE futures FFIc1 gave up 0.42% to 7,514.
China's CSI300 index, one of the world's best-performing
indexes last year, struggled to stay in positive territory but
was last down about 0.2%. Australian shares .AXJO finished up
0.64%, but off earlier highs.
"It remains very unclear exactly what impact (the U.S.
strikes) could have on the equity market," said Tapas
Strickland, director of economics and markets at National
Australia Bank.
"It is significant that one of Iran's top military generals
was reported to have been taken out ... but it all hinges on
what Iran does in terms of retaliation," he said.
Middle Eastern tensions upset a rally for the MSCI index,
which finished at its highest close in more than 18 months on
Thursday.
It had been lifted by a New Year's Day announcement from
China's central bank that it would cut the amount of cash that
banks must hold as reserves, releasing around 800 billion yuan
($114.87 billion). Against the backdrop of a thaw in trade tensions between the
United States and China, global markets had seen renewed
appetite for risk assets.
"You have from both a policy and trade perspective a
favourable framework for ... risk assets for the weeks to come,"
said Frank Benzimra, head of Asia equity strategy at Societe
Generale in Hong Kong.
"The issue in our view, and that is the central scenario, is
beyond these few weeks - where could we see a further
correction?" he said, noting that the United States is unlikely
to enjoy further fiscal stimulus before the presidential
election in November.
Shares had received further support from data on Thursday
showing factory activity in China continued to grow at a solid
pace in December, and that business confidence improved.
Markets in Japan remain closed for a national holiday.
Overnight, Wall Street's major indexes notched record highs
in their first session of the decade. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average .DJI rose 1.16% to 28,868.8. The S&P 500 .SPX gained
0.84% to 3,257.85 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 1.33%
to 9,092.19.
But U.S. stock futures pointed to a grim day on Friday after
the air strikes, with S&P e-minis ESc1 shedding 0.84%.
U.S. Treasury futures also rose TYc1 reflecting an implied
yield of 1.74%.
OIL SURGE
While equity markets turned lower, oil prices surged on news
of Soleimani's death, which ramped up supply worries as the
geopolitical situation deteriorated.
The global benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 shot 2.97% higher
to $68.22 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude
CLc1 jumped 2.81% to $62.90 per barrel. The strikes came after U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper
said on Thursday there were indications Iran or forces it backs
may be planning additional attacks after Iranian-backed
demonstrators hurled rocks at the U.S. embassy in
Baghdad. In currency markets, the dollar weakened as investors
snapped up safe-haven yen. The greenback fell 0.42% against the
Japanese currency to 108.11 JPY= .
The dollar was little changed against the euro at $1.1167
EUR= .
The dollar index .DXY , which tracks the dollar against a
basket of six major rivals, was down 0.04% at 96.808.
The U.S. strikes in Iraq and recent dollar weakness combined
to burnish the value of gold, driving the precious metal 0.84%
higher on the spot market XAU= to $1,541.73 per ounce, around
four-month highs. GOL/
($1 = 6.9642 Chinese yuan)