GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares near all-time peak, oil heads to $60 on economic revival hopes

* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* MSCI ex-Japan rises, edging closer to recent all-time high
* Hopes of $1.9 trln U.S. stimulus, vaccines boosting
sentiment
* Strong company earnings season also aiding equities
sentiment
* U.S dollar retreats from recent highs
* Oil near $60 a barrel

By Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Asian shares hovered near record
highs on Monday while oil edged closer to $60 a barrel on hopes
a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package will be passed by U.S.
lawmakers as soon as this month just as coronavirus vaccines are
being rolled out globally.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS was last up 0.2% at 717.2, not far from last
week's record high of 730.6.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 climbed 0.3% while Australian shares
advanced 0.5% led by technology and mining shares.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 rose 0.3% in early
Asian trading.
Hopes of a quicker economic revival and supply curbs by
producer group OPEC and its allies pushed oil to its highest
level in a year as it edged near $60 a barrel. O/R
Global equity markets have scaled record highs in recent
days on hopes of faster economic revival led by successful
vaccine rollouts and expectations of a large U.S. pandemic
relief package.
On Friday, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit all-time highs on
stronger-than-expected corporate results in the fourth quarter
and as companies were on track to post earnings growth for the
first quarter instead of a decline. .N
The rallies came even as U.S. data painted a dour picture of
the country's labour market with payrolls rising by 49,000, half
of what economists were expecting.
The weak report spurred the push for more stimulus,
underscoring the need for lawmakers to act on President Joe
Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress forged ahead
with their stimulus plan on Friday as lawmakers approved a
budget outline that will allow them to muscle through in the
coming weeks without Republican support.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yallen predicted the United
States would hit full employment next year if Congress can pass
its support package.
"That's a big call given full employment is 4.1%, but one
that will sit well with the market at a time when the
vaccination program is being rolled out efficiently in a number
of countries," said Chris Weston, Melbourne-based chief
strategist at Pepperstone.
In currencies, the U.S. dollar came off a four-month high
against the Japanese yen to be last at 105.39 following the weak
jobs report. JPY=
The euro EUR= edged up slightly after rising 0.7% on
Friday to a one-week high of $1.2054. It was last at $1.2044.
The risk-sensitive Australian dollar AUD=D3 held near a
one-week high at $0.7678.
In commodities, Brent crude and U.S. crude CLc1 climbed 52
cents each to $59.86 and $0.57.37 respectively.
U.S. gold futures GCv1 were up 0.2% at $1,817 an ounce.

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(Editing by Shri Navaratnam)