* MSCI ACWI near record peak hit in late January
* Brisk earnings, U.S. stimulus, strong data boost sentiment
* Bond yields higher on rising inflation expectations
* Dollar, pound, shekel favoured on progress in vaccination
* Global currencies vs US dollar https://tmsnrt.rs/2PmYOcE
By Lawrence White and Hideyuki Sano
LONDON/TOKYO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - - Global shares approached
record highs on Friday and the dollar headed for its best weekly
gain in three months, as progress in vaccine distribution and
U.S. stimulus hopes prompted bets on further normalisation in
the global economy.
An index of the world's major 50 markets, MSCI ACWI
.MIWD00000PUS , rose 0.2% to 667.9, coming within reach of a
record high of 670.82 touched about two weeks ago. It was the
fifth consecutive day of gains.
The STOXX index .STOXX of Europe's 600 largest stocks was
up 0.2% at 410.4, though slower vaccination rollout in
continental Europe compared with Britain and the United States
tempered optimism.
MSCI's gauge of Asian shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS
rose 0.4% while Japan's Nikkei .N225 rallied 1.5%.
Expectations of a large stimulus by U.S. President Joe
Biden's administration also supported risk sentiment while
better-than-expected data on U.S. job markets released in the
past two days fanned further hopes of a strong payroll report
due at 1330 GMT.
"The fact that U.S. stocks are hitting record highs is not
just thanks to the vaccine rollout, but also expectations of
fiscal stimulus as it looks as though the Democrats will go on
their own and not compromise with Republicans on a smaller
package," said Philip Shaw, Chief Economist at Investec in
London.
On Wall Street, each of the major indexes rose more than 1%
on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC and S&P 500
.SPX setting record highs.
Longer-term U.S. Treasury yields rose in anticipation of a
large pandemic relief bill from Washington as well as on
heightening inflation expectations.
The benchmark 10-year yield US10YT=RR stood at 1.130%,
having risen to a three-week high of 1.162% the previous day
while the 30-year bonds US30YT=RR yielded 1.922%, near its 10
1/2-month high of 1.951% touched on Thursday.
Bond yields rose in Europe as well, with Germany's 30-year
government bond yield DE30YT=RR climbing back into positive
territory for the first time since September.
A market gauge of future U.S. inflation USIL5YF5Y=R was at
its highest since October 2018 while that for the euro zone
EUIL5YF5Y=R hit its highest since May 2019.
It was bad news, however, for the internet's new favourite
shares, as the "Reddit rally" stocks GameStop GME.N and AMC
Entertainment AMC.N plunged further after two weeks of wild
swings fuelled by the WallStreetBets Reddit forum. SMILE
The dollar headed for its best weekly gain in three months,
lifted by growing confidence that the U.S. economic recovery
will outpace global peers. The U.S. currency's bounce confounded dollar bears and
traced a trading pattern known as the "Dollar Smile" which has
in previous years preceded major U.S. economic rebounds and
currency surges. The U.S. dollar index =USD stood near a two-month high,
having risen 1.1% so far this week, on course for its biggest
weekly increase since late October.
The euro changed hands at $1.1964 EUR= , having hit a
two-month low of $1.1952 while the yen hit a 3-1/2-month low of
105.70 per dollar JPY= .
"It seems markets are now trying to trade on economic
normalisation based on progress in vaccination," said Arihiro
Nagata, general manager of global investment at Sumitomo Mitsui
Bank.
"The fact that the only currencies that are doing better
than the dollar over the past two days are the British pound and
the Israeli shekel, the two countries that are going further
ahead in vaccination, seems to support that."
The British pound stood at $1.3678 GBP=D4 not far from its
2-1/2-year peak of $1.3759 hit late last month.
The shekel ILS=D4 rose over the past two days, reversing
its decline since mid-January after the Bank of Israel
intervened to stem the currency's strength after it had hit a
24-year high.
Strength in the dollar pushed gold to a two-month low of
$1,785.10 per ounce XAU= on Thursday. The metal was last
traded at $1,797.40.
Oil prices extended gains on the upbeat economic mood,
falling inventories and the OPEC+ decision to stick to its
output cuts.
U.S. crude CLc1 rose 0.6% to $56.6 per barrel and Brent
LCOc1 was at $59.14, up 0.5%.
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Global assets http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl
Global currencies vs. dollar http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Emerging markets http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV
MSCI All Country World Index Market Cap http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
Recovery in earnings https://tmsnrt.rs/3oLYFfL
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