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GLOBAL MARKETS-China reserves cut extends risk rally before U.S. jobs data

Published 06/09/2019, 11:03
Updated 06/09/2019, 11:10
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-China reserves cut extends risk rally before U.S. jobs data
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* European stock markets flat or lower in early trade

* MSCI Asia-Pacific index up 0.4%, Nikkei gains 0.4%

* U.S. jobs report in focus as risk sentiment improves

* Safe-haven government bonds, yen on the defensive

* Emerging-market stocks and FX index have best week since

* Second week of falls for gold

By Marc Jones

LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Stimulus from China capped a

strong week for global share markets on Friday, while bond

buyers and dollar dealers were waiting for U.S. jobs data after

their first significant selloffs in months.

After a roller-coaster week dominated by UK and Italian

political drama, Washington and Beijing trade talk, global

monetary stimulus and Argentina's imposing capital controls,

calm looked to have returned. Then Beijing cut in.

As Chinese markets were closing, the country's central bank

said it was slashing the amount of cash that banks must hold as

reserves for the third time this year. That released a total of

900 billion yuan ($126.35 billion) to shore up the slowing

economy.

Europe's pan-region Stoxx 600 STOXX , London FTSE .FTSE ,

Paris CAC 40 .FCHI and DAX in Frankfurt .GDAXI were all

higher, after rising to their highest in more than month on

Thursday. .EU

Euro zone bond yields steadied after their worst one-day

selloff in more than a year GVD/EUR . The euro EUR= and pound

GBP= saw weekly gains after the biggest drop for the dollar in

a month. /FRX

"It feels to me like the air is coming out of it a bit,"

Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) strategist Kit Juckes said, referring to the

recent surge in volatility. "So we will see what we get from the

payrolls."

The closely watched U.S. non-farm payrolls report due at

1230 GMT was expected to show 158,000 jobs were added in August

and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%.

Surveys on Thursday had suggested the U.S. may be in better

shape than investors have been fearing. Services activity

accelerated in August and private employers increased hiring

more than expected.

Despite the reassuring signs, bond markets still expect the

Federal Reserve to cut U.S interest rates this month and a total

of 55 basis points of cuts by the end of the year.

Overnight, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares

outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS added 0.6%, giving it a 2.4%

weekly gain, its best week since mid-June.

United States and China agreed to hold high-level talks

early in October, raising hopes for their long trade conflict

would be resolved. The Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC ended up 0.5% and Hong

Kong's Hang Seng .HSI rose 0.6%, even though the rating agency

Fitch downgraded the city's credit rating after months of

unrest. Australian stocks .AXJO gained 0.5%, South Korea's KOSPI

.KS11 climbed 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei .N225 advanced 0.5%.

On Thursday, Wall Street's Dow .DJI added 1.4%, the S&P 500

.SPX climbed 1.3% and Nasdaq .IXIC rose 1.75%.

"The strong U.S. data are the main part of the latest turn

in markets as they are key factors impacting equities and U.S.

yields, therefore determining how long this 'risk on' phase will

last," said Junichi Ishikawa, senior FX strategist at IG

Securities in Tokyo.

The August payrolls report "will get more attention than

usual as it could further fuel the risk-on phase, which in turn

would boost the dollar," Ishikawa said.

Despite its broader decline, the dollar stood at 107.04 yen

JPY= after climbing to a one-month high of 107.235 overnight.

The pound GBP=D3 rose to $1.23 from the near-six-week peak

of $1.2353 it reached after Britain's parliament moved to block

a UK departure from the European Union without a transitional

agreement. It had fallen to a three-year low of $1.1959 midweek

amid threats of a no-deal Brexit.

The euro was steady at $1.1039 EUR= after rising 0.5%

overnight, when it was helped by the Brexit drama and the

sagging dollar.

U.S. Treasuries fell in price and their yields rebounded

from multi-year lows as investors moved out of safe assets into

equities. US/

The 10-year Treasury yield US10YT=RR was 1.536%, up from a

three-year low of 1.428% in midweek, when soft economic data and

Sino-U.S. trade worries stoked global recession concerns.

"The recent panic in markets was excessive. And if a

sustained reversal of fragile sentiment gets under way, U.S.

equities will test fresh record highs and a corresponding drop

in bond prices will present an good bargain-hunting

opportunity," said Eiichiro Tani, chief strategist at Daiwa

Securities.

In commodities markets, Brent oil futures LCOc1 were

little changed at $60.97 per barrel. Brent had climbed to a

one-month peak of $62.40 per barrel on Thursday after data

showed U.S. crude stockpiles decline and the news about

U.S.-China trade talks.

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