GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks rally after Dow hits record as inflation worries ease

* South Korea, China lead Asian stock gains
* U.S. CPI data showed underlying inflation muted
* Treasury yields slid after tepid 10-year auction

By Kevin Buckland and Matt Scuffham
TOKYO/NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) - Asian stocks extended
their rebound from a two-month low on Thursday after a report on
U.S. consumer prices calmed concerns about inflation and lifted
the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record close.
An index of regional stocks excluding Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS
rose 0.7%, led by a 1.7% surge in South Korea's Kospi .KS11 ,
and was on track for its first three-day advance in three weeks.
China's Shanghai Composite .SSEC rallied 1.6%, while
Japan's Nikkei 225 .N225 gained 0.5%.
"The reflation trade is back on," said Michael McCarthy,
chief markets strategist at CMC Markets.
"We saw bonds and stocks rallying together and a slight
easing in the U.S. dollar, which also indicates improving
sentiment."
The U.S. Labor Department said its consumer price index rose
0.4% in February, in line with expectations, after a 0.3%
increase in January. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and
energy components, edged up 0.1%, just shy of the 0.2% estimate.
While analysts largely expect a hike in inflation as vaccine
rollouts lead to a reopening of the economy, worries persist
that additional stimulus in the form of a $1.9 trillion
coronavirus relief package set to be signed by U.S. President
Joe Biden could overheat the economy.
The House of Representatives gave final approval on
Wednesday to the bill, one of the largest economic stimulus
measures in U.S. history. Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last yielded 1.5317%,
stabilising from lows of 1.5060% overnight following an auction
of benchmark 10-year notes that was not as bad as feared.
Investors will now eye an auction of 30-year debt on
Thursday, seeking to cover massive shorts. A weak seven-year
auction in late February helped fuel inflation concerns and sent
yields higher. "Rises in U.S. bond yields appear to have subsided a bit
after the 10-year yield has reached 1.5%, even though many
investors remain cautious before the Fed's policy meeting," said
Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset
Management.
"The Fed has ratcheted up its rhetoric on bond yields
lately. The reality is, the economy is in a K-shaped recovery,
with the service sector still in difficult conditions and the
Fed would probably not want to let real interest rates rise."
The fall in the 10-year yield after the auction wasn't
enough to help the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which lagged both the Dow
and the S&P 500 after its strong move on Tuesday, as investors
stayed with names expected to benefit from the economic
reopening like financials.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 1.45% to a
record closing high, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.60% and the
Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 0.04%.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 EScv1 were largely flat on
Thursday in Asia.
Europe's main index hovered near pre-pandemic highs.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS
gained 0.27%.
Gold held near a one-week high reached Wednesday as U.S.
Treasury yields eased.
Spot gold prices XAU= rose 0.2% to $1,729.62 an ounce.
The dollar moved lower following the economic data, and
remained weaker in Asian trading.
The dollar index =USD slipped to 91.776, following a 0.2%
drop overnight.
The euro stood at $1.1932 EUR= while the safe-haven yen
eased slightly to 108.52 per dollar JPY= .
Oil prices resumed their climb following two days of
declines, after the Energy Information Administration reported a
bigger-than-expected storage build. U.S. crude futures CLc1 stood at $64.95 per barrel, up 50
cents or 0.78%. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $68.38 per
barrel, up 48 cents or 0.71%.

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