* Ex-Japan Asian shares up 0.25%, Nikkei up 0.35%
* U.S. ISM indicators show strong manufacturing expansion
* Mnuchin says will talk to Pelosi on stimulus
* Fed reiterates dovish message
* European shares seen rising about 0.8%
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Hideyuki Sano and Alwyn Scott
TOKYO/NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Asian shares inched up on
Wednesday following buoyant manufacturing indicators from the
United States and elsewhere and a rally in U.S. tech shares,
with investors also expecting more policy support from
Washington.
European stocks are expected to follow Asia's upbeat lead,
with pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 up 0.64% and
German DAX futures FDXc1 up 0.75%. FTSE futures FFIc1 traded
0.86% higher.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS gained 0.3% while Japan's Nikkei .N225
advanced 0.5%. In China, the bellwether CSI300 index .CSI300
rose 0.2%.
On Wall Street, both the S&P 500 .SPX and Nasdaq .IXIC
boasted record closing highs, with the technology sector leading
the charge.
Apple AAPL.O , the world's biggest company by market
capitalisation, rose just under 4% to take its value to almost
$2.3 trillion after a media report that the company had asked
suppliers to make at least 75 million 5G iPhones for later this
year. U.S. manufacturing indicators showed expansion, with the
reading from the Institute for Supply Management hitting its
highest level in nearly two years. "On top of the strong headline figure, looking at new orders
and inventories components in the survey, the manufacturing
sector looks unlikely to falter any time soon," said Shogo
Maekawa, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
Euro zone manufacturing activity also grew last month to
stay on a path toward recovery, though factory managers remained
wary about investing and hiring more workers. "At the moment the market is seeing a lot of positive
momentum," said Greg Boutle, U.S. head of equity and derivative
strategy at BNP Paribas in New York. "If you get OK-to-good data
and anything from the political landscape that looks like its
moving more toward a compromise that's constructive for
markets."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday he
would telephone House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about stalled
coronavirus aid negotiations later in the day. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Senate
Republicans are likely to bring up a targeted COVID-19 relief
bill next week. The U.S. Federal Reserve dabbed in more support for the
economy as Governor Lael Brainard said the central bank would
need to provide more stimulus to fulfil its promise of stronger
job growth and higher inflation. Brainard's comments helped to push down the 10-year U.S.
Treasuries yield US10YT=RR to 0.680% from above 0.7%. Last
week it rose to as high as 0.789%, the highest in 2-1/2 months.
"We are entering the second stage of central bank-financed
government stimulus," said Hiroshi Watanabe, senior economist at
Sony Financial Holdings.
"This means U.S. nominal bond interest rates will be kept
low and real interest rates will decline. The dollar will
continue to fall while boosting various asset prices from gold
to stocks."
The yield on inflation-protected U.S. Treasuries
10YTIP=RR , or real U.S. yields, remained depressed at minus
1.092%, near a record low of minus 1.111% hit last month.
The strong manufacturing data also helped the U.S. dollar
claw back losses a tad for now after it hit a 28-month low
against a basket of currencies on Tuesday.
The dollar index =USD stood at 92.381, off Tuesday's low
of 91.737.
The euro changed hands at $1.1905 EUR= , flat on the day
after touching above $1.20 for the first time since 2018 during
Tuesday's trading.
The dollar was firm on the yen at 106.04 yen JPY= .
The Australian dollar lost as much as 0.5% to $0.7338
AUD=D4 , after GDP data showed the Australian economy suffered
a deeper-than-expected 7% contraction in the last quarter, its
worst economic downturn on record and confirming its first
recession in about three decades.
Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 0.9% to $46.01 a barrel.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures CLc1 gained 1.0% to
$43.18 a barrel.
(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Sam Holmes)