* MSCI ACWI, S&P500 at record highs after Phase 1 deal
signed
* Focus shifts to Phase 2 hurdles
* European shares higher
* Signals from ECB, BoE awaited
* Turkey expected to cut rates again
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Marc Jones
LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - World stocks remained near record
highs on Thursday, after the United States and China signed the
first phase of an agreement to end their 18-month trade war.
MSCI's broadest index of world stocks .MIWD00000PUS was up
0.1%. London .FTSE , Frankfurt .GDAXI , Paris .FCHI helped
Europe start stronger, after China's biggest stocks dipped
overnight. .SS
The deal signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese
Vice Premier Liu He will roll back only some of tariffs that the
two sides have been imposing on each other. The rest remain in
place for what looks to be another tricky phase of talks.
"We believe the agreement underpins a positive outlook for
risk assets, especially emerging-market stocks," said Mark
Haefele, Chief Investment Officer, UBS Global Wealth Management.
"But it is also important for investors to understand the
limitations of the deal. So we see the deal as representing a
partial calming rather than an end to trade tensions."
Investors were also sizing up emerging-market central bank
meetings in Turkey, South Africa and Egypt. Turkey was expected
to cut interest rates further.
The European Central Bank was due to publish its December
meeting, shortly before a speech by its president, Christine
Lagarde.
Also due to speak was Andy Haldane, one of the Bank of
England's last holdouts against a rate cut. Weak UK inflation
data had proved treacherous for the pound on Wednesday, so his
view will be closely listened to. The pound was still weak at
$1.30 and 85.4 pence to the euro. /FRX
DONE DEAL, GET REAL
Japan's Nikkei .N225 ended 0.07% higher and China's
Shanghai composite index fell 0.5% in its third day of losses
.SSEC . Hong Kong, Australia, India and Vietnam all gained.
Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above
29,000 for the first time. .N
"While the trade deal has provided a relief, there wasn't
any positive surprises for markets. For shares to rise further,
we need more evidences of improvement in the real economy and
earnings," said Hirokazu Kabeya, chief global strategist at
Daiwa Securities.
U.S. shares are now trading above 18 times expected
earnings, near post-2008 financial crisis peak in 2018.
DISINFLATION EVERYWHERE
Bond yields dropped as a boost from the trade deal failed to
offset low U.S. producer price data, which highlighted
persistently low inflationary pressure. The price index rose
less than expected in December to cap 2019 with rise of 1.3%,
the lowest since 2015. Ten-year U.S. Treasury yields slipped to one-week low of
1.780% US10YT=RR compared with a high of 1.900% last Thursday
and last stood at 1.80%.
Most euro zone bond yields were little changed, with German
Bund yields just below two-week highs. The UK's 10-year gilt was
yield near a two-and-a-half-month low at 0.65% on the talk of
rate cuts. GB10YT=RR . The Swiss franc held firm. It had reached its highest
against the dollar in over a year and its highest against the
euro in almost three years after the United States added
Switzerland to its watchlist of currency manipulators.
Washington's decision led traders to think it will become
harder for the Swiss National Bank to intervene to weaken the
franc in the future. The Swiss currency last stood at 0.9626
franc per dollar CHF= , near Wednesday's high of 0.9631.
The Chinese yuan was just below the five-and-a-half-month
high it touched earlier this week after Washington dropped its
currency manipulator label for China.
Among the main commodities, oil rose from Wednesday's
six-week low, amid data showing big increases in U.S. refined
products and hopes for more Chinese purchases of U.S. oil and
Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 0.7% to $64.45 a barrel.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 gained 0.73% to
$58.23 per barrel. Gold was little changed at $1,555 an ounce.
Inflation Image https://tmsnrt.rs/2QTjpV5
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