GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares climb to three-week highs on vaccine optimism, dollar retreats

* MSCI ex-Japan rises for a second straight day
* Chinese shares start lower, CSI300 index off 1%
* Dollar softens to two-week lows
* Crude oil prices rise on economic recovery hopes

By Swati Pandey and Chibuike Oguh
SYDNEY/NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - A gauge of Asian shares
climbed to three-week highs on Wednesday as investors eyed the
upcoming earnings season for further signs of a global economic
recovery, while the dollar slipped to a two-week low.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside of
Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.3% for its second straight day of
gains. It went as high as 697.01, a level last seen on March 18.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 was a shade higher while Australian
shares .AXJO rose 0.6% and South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 added
0.5%.
Chinese shares, however, were weaker with the bluechip
CSI300 index .CSI300 down about 1% after a strong rally last
week.
"The U.S. economy is experiencing the first effects of a
powerful double-dose vaccine of broad inoculation and fiscal
stimulus," said David Kelly, chief global market strategist at
J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
"The reality is that forecasts remain very uncertain...(but)
early signs show the recovery is accelerating, suggesting a
faster return to 'normal' than many had dared to hope a few
months ago," Kelly added.
Overnight, the three major Wall Street indexes closed lower,
a day after the S&P 500 and the Dow rose to record levels driven
by optimism from a greater-than-expected jobs report last Friday
and data showing a dramatic rebound in the U.S. services
industry on Monday. .N
The Dow .DJI fell 0.3%, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.10% and
the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC eased 0.05%.
Investors also weighed the latest U.S. job openings report,
which showed that vacancies rose to a two-year high in February
while hiring had its biggest gain in nine months amid increased
COVID-19 vaccinations and additional government stimulus.
Moreover, the International Monetary Fund raised its global
growth forecast to 6% this year from 5.5%, reflecting a rapidly
brightening outlook for the U.S. economy. With the upcoming earnings season expected to show S&P
profit growth of 24.2% from a year earlier, according to
Refinitiv data, investors will be watching to see whether
corporate results further confirm recent positive economic data.
Elsewhere, the five-year U.S. Treasury yields dropped
sharply to 0.874% US5TY=TWEB , weighing on the U.S. dollar.
FRX/
The five-year Treasury yield is seen as a major barometer of
how much faith investors have in the Federal Reserve's pledge
that it does not expect to raise interest rates until 2024.
The dollar slipped to a two-week low against a basket of
world currencies, with traders taking advantage of its strong
March performance as dropping Treasury yields pressured the
greenback. The dollar index =USD fell to 92.258.
The euro EUR= was flat at $1.1874, sterling was slightly
higher at $1.3835 GBP= , the Australian dollar AUD=D3 rose to
$0.7668, while the Japanese yen JPY= was higher at 109.62.
Crude oil prices rose on the prospects for stronger global
economic growth amid increased COVID-19 vaccinations and a
report showing that crude inventories in the United States, the
world's biggest fuel consumer, fell in the week-ended April 2.
O/R
Brent crude futures LCOc1 for June rose by 34 cents, or
0.5%, to $63.08 a barrel while U.S. crude CLc1 for May was up
32 cents, or 0.5%, to $59.65.
Spot gold XAU= was off a touch at $1,737.6 an ounce.

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