* MSCI world share index at highest since end of July
* Europe's bourses creep higher, set for 4th week of gains
* Trump wants full deal with Beijing after goodwill gestures
* Bond yields at 6-week high as recession worries ebb
By Marc Jones
LONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - World shares climbed to a
six-week high alongside benchmark government bond yields on
Friday, as markets cheered signs of progress in U.S.-China trade
talks and another powerful slug of stimulus from the European
Central Bank.
It was a bit of a groggy start in Europe after it emerged
not all of the ECB's member country's had wanted to restart its
money printing programme but the main bourses
eventually added 0.2% to what was already set to be a fourth
straight week of gains. .EU
The euro shuffled up to a two-week high in foreign exchange
markets too, as traders there suspected the ECB may have now
exhausted all ammunition of any worth, though a six-week low for
the safe-haven Japanese yen and the pound back above $1.24 for
the first time since late July also caught the attention. /FRX
"We have quite an interesting reaction to the ECB meeting
with the sense of the pushback from the core countries, and that
essentially that the ECB has now thrown its last cards in," said
John Hardy, head of FX strategy at Saxo bank.
"It looks like we are also getting to some pretty
interesting levels for yields. If the consolidation continues,
at some point you have to question whether the easing (from the
central banks) is actually there."
U.S., Japanese and European long-dated bond yields were all
at six-week highs. Ten-year U.S. Treasuries were offering almost
1.8% compared with just over 1.4% at the start of September,
while Germany's Bunds settled at the new ECB deposit rate of
-0.5% DE10YT=RR .
It was all built on revived risk appetite and after U.S.
President Donald Trump had said on Thursday he was potentially
open to an interim trade deal with China, although he stressed
an "easy" agreement would not be possible. It would certainly help optimism in the near future though,
a new Reuters poll showed most economists believed the trade
dispute would worsen or at best stay the same over the coming
year. In line with the main world stock indexes, Asian shares
ended their week at a six-week high. Japan's Nikkei .N225 did
even better and scored a 4-month peak, while Wall Street's S&P
500 had closed just short of its all-time closing high. .T
As well as the boost from the Trump trade signals and the
ECB's salvo of easing measures, sentiment had also been helped
by a U.S. tax overhaul plan aimed at middle-income households
next year.
"Risk assets should find further support from accommodative
policies, which are set to remain in vogue for some time, and
not just in Europe as seen in the global easing trend," said
Esty Dwek, head of global market strategy at Natixis in Geneva,
Switzerland.
EASY! EASY!
U.S. Fed funds rate futures FEDWATCH now imply a 0.25
percentage point interest rate cut by the U.S. central bank next
week but have effectively priced out any chance of a larger cut.
The Fed will announce its policy on Wednesday, followed by
the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Thursday.
Sources told Reuters the BOJ is leaning towards standing pat
next week if markets are calm, but is brainstorming ways to
deepen negative interest rates at minimal cost. "I think a rally in stock prices will run out of steam soon.
It's typical buy-on-rumour-sell-on-fact trade on central bank
stimulus and will be over by the Fed and the BOJ's meetings,"
said Tatsushi Maeno, senior strategist at Okasan Asset
Management.
Despite the rise in other economy-sensitive assets, oil
prices were on course to post weekly losses.
As well as continued worries about weakening demand, traders
have begun speculating that the U.S. may ease sanctions on Iran
after Trump ousted his hawkish national security adviser John
Bolton this week.
Brent crude LCOc1 futures fell 0.25% to $60.21 a barrel
while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was down
0.2% at $54.98. Gold ticked up to $1,503 an ounce. GOL/
ECB, German bunds Sept 13 https://tmsnrt.rs/2ZZJE1i
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