GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks gain on stimulus, Brexit hopes

(Recasts, adds U.S. open, updates prices)
* Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 up 0.4%
* MSCI all-country world index strikes all-time high
* Dollar hits two-year low
* Fed confirms backstop, Congress mulls stimulus
* Brexit trade deal hopes boost sterling to $1.36

By Matt Scuffham and Thyagaraju Adinarayan
NEW YORK/LONDON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Global stocks scaled new
peaks on Thursday, fueled by growing optimism that deals will be
reached over a fresh U.S. stimulus package and a post-Brexit
trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
From stocks to safe-haven gold and volatile bitcoin,
financial assets were in festive mood. Bitcoin hit another
all-time high after first shattering the $20,000 level on
Wednesday.
U.S. congressional negotiators were "closing in on" a $900
billion COVID-19 aid bill expected to include $600-$700 stimulus
checks to individuals, lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Progress on a stimulus package overshadowed continued
concerns over the economic impact of the pandemic, highlighted
by weak U.S. retail sales data on Wednesday.
"U.S. stocks are rallying on COVID relief bill optimism and
hopes that a post-Brexit trade deal will be reached by Sunday,"
said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 124.16 points,
or 0.41%, to 30,278.7; the S&P 500 .SPX gained 16.63 points,
or 0.45%, to 3,717.8; and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added
76.07 points, or 0.6%, to 12,734.26.
The general risk-on mood sent the dollar to 2-1/2-year lows
against major peers, while the MSCI world stock index
.MIWD00000PUS reached a new high of 639.33. The index has
climbed 16% since the end of October. Since then, multiple
COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs have been announced.
European stocks .STOXX and the euro rallied for the fourth
straight session as investors built up positions in riskier
assets, anticipating a sharp economic recovery in 2021 backed by
wider vaccine rollouts and ultra-easy monetary policy.
The British pound hit May 2018 highs on hopes of a
post-Brexit trade deal.
The dollar index .DXY , which tracks the greenback versus a
basket of six currencies, fell 0.636 points or 0.7%, to 89.814.
"While we expect stocks to benefit further from positive
news on vaccine rollouts and U.S. fiscal support, the same
cannot be said for the U.S. dollar," said Mark Haefele, Chief
Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management.
"We see further (dollar) weakness ahead."
In further monetary support, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman
Jerome Powell vowed on Wednesday to keep pouring cash into
markets until the U.S. economic recovery is secure.
Bond traders, however, were disappointed he did not extend
the Fed's purchase program deeper down the yield curve, and U.S.
Treasuries sold off at longer tenors, but others took it as a
signal the bank will have their back. US/
The Swiss National Bank also kept its ultra-expansive
monetary policy on hold, keeping the world's lowest interest
rates and staying ready to launch currency interventions despite
being labelled a currency manipulator by the United States.
The Swiss franc was last at 0.8841.
Better-than-expected labour data in Australia pushed the
Aussie AUD= as high as $0.7624, its strongest since mid-2018.
AUD/
The Aussie is also riding high on surging prices for iron
ore and a mood that has pushed currencies in Malaysia MYR= ,
Singapore SGD= , Thailand THB= , Taiwan TWD= , Sweden SEK=
and Norway NOK= to milestone peaks. EMRG/FRX
The kiwi NZD= rose to its strongest since early 2018 after
New Zealand's economic growth beat expectations. U.S. Treasuries steadied, with the yield on benchmark
ten-year government bonds US10YT=RR flat at 0.9246%.
Cryptocurrency bitcoin BTC=BTSP extended gains after
breaking past $20,000 overnight. It rose 8% to $23,058.
Investors are attracted by its momentum - it is up 200% this
year - and its purported resistance to inflation because of its
limited supply. In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares
outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 3.84 points or 0.59%, to
651.47. The yen JPY= was last down 0.53%, at $102.9300.
Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 rose as much as 1.6% to
their highest since early March - before over-production fears
and virus worries pushed oil prices off a cliff. O/R
Spot gold prices XAU= rose $27.9444, or 1.50%, to
$1,892.09 an ounce.