* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Focus shifts to trade, Middle East tensions after Fed
euphoria
* European stock futures decline in early trade
* Gold advances to 6-year high, crude dips after big surge
* Dollar struggles, government bonds buoyant post-Fed
By Shinichi Saoshiro
TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - Asian stocks slipped on Friday,
as U.S.-Iran tensions and anxieties over Sino-U.S. trade talks
left markets in the region struggling to match the euphoria on
Wall Street over a possible U.S. interest rate cut next month.
Fears of a military confrontation in the Middle East Gulf
were raised after Iran shot down a U.S. military drone. The New
York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had
approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation,
but pulled back from launching the attacks. In early European trade, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50
futures STXEc1 were down 0.37%, German DAX futures FDXc1
lost 0.46% and Britain's FTSE futures FFIc1 slipped 0.36%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS lost 0.15%. The index was still up nearly 4% on
the week, during which it brushed its highest level since May 8.
The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC rose 0.5%, Australian
stocks .AXJO declined 0.6% and Japan's Nikkei .N225 shed
0.8%.
Safe haven gold XAU= advanced to a six-year high of
$1,410.78 an ounce as geo-political tensions and the prospect of
lower U.S. interest rates helped boost the precious metal. Gold
has soared nearly 5% this week. GOL/
"Gold has benefited from its safe haven status amid
deteriorating macroeconomic outlook," wrote commodity strategist
at ANZ.
"We believe it will remain a highly relevant portfolio
diversifier, as investors seek protection from growing
uncertainties around global economic growth and rising
geopolitical risks."
The S&P 500 .SPX hit a record high on Thursday after this
week's Federal Reserve meeting boosted expectations that the
central bank will cut interest rates as soon as next month to
keep the U.S.-China trade war from stalling economic growth. .N
The Fed signalled easing after the conclusion of its policy
setting meeting on Wednesday, saying it was ready to battle
growing global and domestic economic risks. "There is no doubt that this week's FOMC meeting outcome is
positive for the financial markets including those in Asia,"
said Kota Hirayama, senior emerging market economist at SMBC
Nikko Securities in Tokyo.
"That said, the FOMC alone won't be able to sustain Asian
equities indefinitely until some kind of solution can be worked
out for the U.S.-China trade war at the G20, since the region is
particularly vulnerable to the conflict."
Investors have pinned hopes on some sort of compromise
emerging when U.S. President Donald Trump meets China's
President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan
on June 28-29.
In currency markets, the prospect of U.S. interest rates
being lowered put the dollar squarely on the defensive.
The dollar index .DXY against a basket of six major
currencies fell to a two-week low of 96.495. The index has shed
roughly 1% this week.
The greenback has fallen 1.35% versus the yen JPY= this
week and slid to a six-month low of 107.045 yen on Friday.
The euro EUR= was a touch higher at $1.1297 after popping
up to an eight-day high of $1.1317 in the previous session. The
single currency was headed for a weekly gain of 0.8%.
With the Fed expected to ease policy soon, and with other
central banks such as the European Central Bank and the Bank of
Japan seen following in their wake, government bonds were on a
bullish footing.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield US10YT=RR surged
in price and its yield fell below 2% for the first time in 2-1/2
years on Thursday. It last stood at 2.004%.
The German 10-year bund yield DEYT=RR touched a record low
of minus 0.329% this week while Japan's 10-year yield
JP10YTN=JBTC fell to a near three-year trough of minus 0.195%.
In oil markets, crude prices dipped following the previous
day's big rally.
U.S. crude oil futures CLc1 were down 0.35% at $56.87 per
barrel after surging more than 5% the previous day after Iran
shot down the U.S. military drone, raising fears of supply
constraints. O/R
(Editing by Sam Holmes & Simon Cameron-Moore)