GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks at record high, oil up on strong China, U.S. data

* MSCI All-Country World Index up 0.1%
* FTSE 100 leads European stock markets higher, up 0.5%
* Brent up 0.3%; China Q1 GDP grows record 18.3%
* Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
* World FX rates http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

By Simon Jessop and Hideyuki Sano
LONDON/TOKYO, April 16 (Reuters) - Global stocks hit a
record high on Friday and oil climbed after strong U.S. and
Chinese economic data bolstered expectations of a solid global
recovery from the coronavirus-induced slump.
Government stimulus, a string of strong corporate earnings
releases and the signs of economic recovery in countries ahead
in the COVID-19 vaccination race have all helped push stock
markets onto new heights in recent days.
MSCI's broadest gauge of world stocks .MIWD00000PUS edged
higher in early European trade, up 0.1% to a record high.
Europe's top indexes all opened higher, led by Britain's FTSE
100 .FTSE , up 0.5% and passing 7,000 points for the first time
since February 2020.
"With the vaccine roll-out fairly advanced and talk positive
about the future state of the economy, investors are once again
seeing opportunity rather than threat in UK shares," said Adam
Vettese, an analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro.
U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly lower open, with
S&P futures down ESc1 0.06% and Nasdaq futures NQc1 down
0.2%
Overnight, Asian markets had tracked a path similar to
Europe's. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside
Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was last up 0.4%, with Shanghai shares
.SSEC adding 0.8% and Japan's Nikkei .N225 up 0.1%.
Driving the move was Chinese data showing record 18.3%
growth in the first quarter, though the reading slightly
undershot expectations. Retail sales bounced strongly last
month. "We remain focused on a China-led rebound steadily helping
the Asia-Pacific region," said Sebastien Galy, senior macro
strategist at Nordea Asset Management.
"As the U.S. economy and then European economies open up, it
should further help Asian exports. This should support Emerging
Market and APAC equities as well as China equities and fixed
income."
Despite the punchy GDP number, gains were tempered by the
view that Beijing will act to rein in the brisk expansion later
in the year to stop the economy overheating.
"Regulators might make further efforts to cool down the
property market and control domestic leverage. Fiscal discipline
might also be strengthened, leading to deceleration in local
government financing and infrastructure investment," said
Chaoping Zhu, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset
Management in Shanghai.
The strong Chinese data had followed similarly upbeat
numbers out of the United States overnight. Retail sales
rebounded 9.8% in March, pushing the level of sales 17.1% above
its pre-pandemic level to a record high. The brightening economic prospects were underscored by other
data, including first-time claims for unemployment benefits,
which tumbled last week to the lowest level since March 2020.
All of which helped oil prices push on, hitting one-month
highs thanks to the economic data and higher demand forecasts
from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and OPEC.
Brent futures LCOc1 were last up 0.3% at $67.12 per
barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 was 0.2% higher at $63.59 per barrel,
both on course for their first substantial weekly gains in six.
Despite the strong data, U.S. bond yields dropped, in part
driven by buying from Japan, which began a new financial year
this month. The 10-year U.S. Treasuries yield hovered near its
five-week low of 1.589% US10YT=TWEB .
In the currency market, lower U.S. yields were a drag on the
dollar overnight, although the dollar index had recovered to
trade flat early in the European session =USD .
The euro was flat at $1.1967 EUR= , having hit a six-week
high of $1.19935 overnight. The pound was down 0.3% at $1.3740.
Gold also fell from a seven-week high of $1,769 per ounce
XAU= to trade at $1,763.70.

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Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
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(Editing by Kim Coghill, Larry King)