GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares hit record on vaccine progress, sterling awaits Brexit meeting

* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Stocks continue to set new record highs
* Sterling stares down endgame for Brexit talks
* U.S. crude stockpile increase hits oil prices

By Stanley White and Pete Schroeder
TOKYO/WASHINGTON Dec 9 (Reuters) - Asian shares rose to a
record high and U.S. stock futures gained on Wednesday as
investors tracked positive news on COVID-19 vaccines and ongoing
efforts to launch more fiscal stimulus.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.51%. At one point the index reached
646.10, an all-time peak.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS also
hit a record high.
Australian shares .AXJO gained 0.69%. Japan's Nikkei
.N225 rose 1.01% to approach a 29 1/2-year high. Sentiment got
an added boost after Japanese data pointed to a rebound in
capital expenditure. Shares in China .CSI300 rose 0.15%. South Korean stocks
.KS11 also jumped by 1.26% to trade near a record high.
U.S. S&P 500 e-mini stock futures ESc1 rose 0.11% in Asian
trade after shares on Wall Street notched new record highs on
Tuesday, boosted by positive vaccine news and seeming progress
on U.S. stimulus talks.
The British pound was little changed before make-or-break
talks on a trade deal between Britain and the European Union.
"While hopes are still alive that a fresh stimulus package
for the United States will be agreed on soon, it is looking less
likely a Brexit deal will be made with negotiators from both
sides acknowledging a deal may not be achieved," analysts at ANZ
Bank wrote in a research memo.
"The next 24 hours will be critical and is likely to cause
market volatility depending on what is or isn't agreed."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 0.35% on
Tuesday, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.28% and the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC added 0.5%. U.S. policymakers continued to negotiate over additional
stimulus to help offset the economic impact of the pandemic
while pursuing a stopgap government funding bill.
Leaders in both parties remain adamant a deal must be struck
but are still working through sticking points, including aid to
state and local governments and business liability protections.
The steady march of positive news on COVID-19 vaccines
helped lift investor spirits.
Britain on Tuesday became the first Western nation to begin
a wide vaccination campaign, and Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N
reported it could obtain late-stage trial results for a
single-dose vaccine in January, earlier than expected.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc PFE.N cleared another hurdle when
the U.S. health regulator released documents flagging no new
safety or efficacy concerns. But the looming prospect of a "no deal" Brexit weighed on
sentiment for sterling GBP=D3 , which last traded at $1.3369
and at 90.61 pence per euro EURGBP=D3 .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet Ursula von
der Leyen, president of the EU's executive European Commission,
for dinner in Brussels on Wednesday to try and close gaps their
negotiators have struggled with for months. Against a basket of currencies =USD the dollar sat at
90.923, which is about half a percent above a
two-and-a-half-year low it hit on Friday as short sellers piled
in.
Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields US10YT=RR edged up
to 0.9344% in Asia on Wednesday. Some dealers say expectations
for more fiscal spending could push yields up more in the
future.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 0.18% to $48.75 a barrel,
while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 fell 0.22% to
$45.50 following a rise in U.S. crude inventories. O/R
Spot gold XAU= fell from a two-week high to $1,868.21 per
ounce as the start of vaccine treatment reduced safe harbour
demand for the precious metal.

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