(Adds European futures, updates levels throughout)
* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* China, Japan share markets reverse early losses
* Bitcoin recoups losses after falling 14% on Sunday
* Currencies tread water, U.S. dollar near 4-week lows
By Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, April 19 (Reuters) - Asian shares hit a one-month
high on Monday helped by expectations monetary policy will
remain accommodative the world over, while COVID-19 vaccine
rollouts help ease fears of another dangerous wave of
coronavirus infections.
Indicators were positive for Europe as well with futures for
Eurostoxx 50 STXEc1 up 0.2% and Germany's DAX FDXc1 adding
0.1% though those for London's FTSE FFIc1 were barely changed.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS went as high as 699.70, a level not seen since
March 18. It was last up 0.1% at 696.46.
The index jumped 1.2% last week and is up 5.1% so far this
year, on track for its third straight yearly gain.
"The extremely supportive monetary and fiscal policy setting
continues to provide a fertile environment for risk assets,"
said Rodrigo Catril, senior forex strategist at National
Australia Bank.
Australian shares .AXJO finished unchanged from Friday's
close while New Zealand's benchmark index .NZ50 gained 0.6%
and South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 added 0.1%. Japan's Nikkei
.N225 turned around its losses to end flat.
Chinese shares, which started in negative territory,
recouped losses with the blue-chip index .CSI300 up 2.2%. Hong
Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.6%.
On Friday, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.4% to close at a new
record high while clocking its sixth straight weekly gain. The
Dow .DJI finished 0.5%, also at a record high while the Nasdaq
.IXIC climbed 0.1%.
The gains are unlikely to extend further with e-mini futures
for the S&P 500 ESc1 down 0.2%.
This week is off to a quiet start with no major data
releases slated on Monday.
Investors will keep their eyes peeled for earnings from IBM
IBM.N and Coca-Cola COKE.O later in the day. Netflix
NFLX.O reports on Tuesday while later in the week American
Airlines AAL.O and Southwest LUV.N will be the first major
post-COVID cyclicals to post results.
The European Central Bank (ECB) meets on Thursday with no
changes to rates or guidance expected while preliminary data on
factory activity around the globe for April is due on Friday.
Elsewhere, Bitcoin BTC=BTSP , the world's biggest
cryptocurrency, reversed its losses after plunging as much as
14% on Sunday following speculation the U.S. Treasury may be
looking at cracking down on money-laundering activity within
digital assets, NAB's Catril said.
Data website CoinMarketCap cited a blackout in China's
Xinjiang region, which reportedly powers a lot of bitcoin
mining, for the selloff. The retreat in Bitcoin also comes after Turkey's central
bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies for purchases on Friday.
Bitcoin was last up 1%. It has risen more than 90% year to
date, driven by its mainstream acceptance as an investment and a
means of payment, accompanied by the rush of retail cash into
stocks, exchange-traded funds and other risky assets.
In currencies, the U.S. dollar =USD loitered near a
four-week low against a basket of currencies as investors
increasingly bought into the Federal Reserve's insistence it
would keep an accommodative policy stance for a while longer.
The dollar index measuring the greenback against a basket of
six currencies was unchanged at 91.567, not far from its lowest
since March 18 touched on Friday.
Against the Japanese yen JPY= , the greenback was off 0.2%
at 108.52. The euro was a tad lower EUR= at $1.1964 while the
British pound GBP= gained 0.2% to $1.3854. FRX/
The risk-sensitive Aussie dollar AUD=D3 climbed to
$0.7740.
In commodities, oil prices were down with the Brent LCOc1
slipping 22 cents to $66.55 a barrel and U.S. crude CLc1
falling 19 cents to $62.94.
Gold was up a tad at $1,776.7 an ounce XAU= .
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Asia stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Asia-Pacific valuations https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA
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(Editing by Michael Perry and Sam Holmes)