GLOBAL MARKETS-Markets steady in early Asia trading amid regional holidays

* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Markets mostly hold levels on mixed data
* Holidays sideline many Asian markets
* S&P futures down 0.1%
* Australian stocks off 0.15%
*
*

By David Henry
Feb 11 (Reuters) - In early trading on Friday global markets
were holding steady or slipping a bit as investors looked over
mixed data and watched for the next catalyst.
The Australian S&P/ASX 200 Index .AXJO was last down
0.15%and futures for the S&P 500 EScv1 were off 0.1%.
Markets in Greater China and most of Southeast Asia are
closed on Friday for the Lunar New Year holiday. China's stock
and bond markets, foreign exchange and commodity futures markets
are closed through Feb. 17 for the holiday.
Trading in the United States and Europe on Thursday did not
move prices enough to provide much direction, said Tom
Piotrowski, a market analyst at CommSec in Sydney.
"We didn't get much of a lead-in from the northern
hemisphere," Piotrowski said. "Markets are in a bit of a holding
pattern waiting for the next catalyst and it is just a question
of whether that catalyst is going to be a positive one or a
negative one."
World stock markets were holding close to record highs on
Thursday as investors weighed some tepid economic data against
increasing vaccinations against COVID-19 and the prospect that
more government spending and continued cheap money from central
banks will drive higher growth and, eventually, inflation.
The MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS , which tracks
shares in 49 countries, rose 0.25% on Thursday, adding a
ninth-straight day of gains.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq .IXIC and S&P 500 .SPX eked
out gains of 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively, while the Dow Jones
Industrial Average .DJI slipped 0.02%. Prices held near records as investors bet on more government
spending, although enthusiasm was tempered when U.S. President
Joe Biden argued for more infrastructure spending by saying in
part that China was poised to "eat our lunch." The U.S. government reported that weekly unemployment claims
fell slightly last week, but not as much as economists polled by
Reuters had expected. Such labor market woes have strengthened Biden's push for
more spending. Biden, in a meeting on Thursday with members of
Congress, said he will ask for heavy investments in U.S.
infrastructure.
He added that the United States must raise its game in the
face of competition from China. "If we don't get moving, they
are going to eat our lunch," he said.
Studies show about half of U.S. roads are in poor or
mediocre condition and one-third of bridges need work or
replacement. The infrastructure effort, analyst said, could add trillions
of dollars more spending to the $1.9 trillion emergency stimulus
bill Biden is urging Congress to pass. nL1N2KG2IN]
The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries US10YT=RR was last at
1.1648, 3 basis points higher than the day before and the
biggest one-day change this week.
The weaker bidding for Treasuries came on soft demand for
$27 billion of new 30-year bonds on Thursday. Earlier in the
week, strong demand for new sales of 10-year and three-year
notes tempered yields. Bond investors have been juggling the prospect of increasing
supplies of Treasuries with changing outlooks for faster
economic growth and inflation.
The dollar index =USD drifted 0.02% lower on Friday
morning after dipping for a fourth day on Thursday on the weak
U.S. jobless claims data. FRX/
U.S. crude CLc1 was unchanged early Friday at $57.92 per
barrel. Oil ended a record streak of gains on Thursday after
both OPEC and the International Energy Agency said renewed
lockdowns and the emergence of new coronavirus variants reduced
the prospect of a swift recovery in demand. O/R
Cryptocurrency bitcoin [BTC=BTSP} was up/down 6.9% on the
day at $47,937.82 at 2310 GMT after setting a record high of
$48,481.45 on Thursday. The move came after BNY Mellon BK.N
said it will form a new unit to help clients hold, transfer and
issue digital assets.
Spot gold XAU= was last up 0.05% to $1,826.30 per ounce.
U.S. gold futures GCv1 settled down 0.9% on Thursday.
GOL/

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