* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* U.S. and China extend olive branches before trade talks
* China stocks and yuan rise on renewed optimism
* Focus on how far ECB will ease policy
* Oil recovers from overnight tumble
By Stanley White
TOKYO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Asian stocks advanced to a
six-week high on Thursday on hopes for a thaw in U.S.-China
trade relations and expectations that the European Central Bank
would kick off another wave of monetary easing by global central
banks.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.5% and Tokyo's Nikkei stock index
.N225 rose 0.96%. Australian shares .AXJO were up 0.2%.
In early European trading, the futures for pan-region Euro
Stoxx 50 STXEc1 were up 0.65%, German DAX FDXc1 0.6%, and
London's FTSE FFIc1 0.52%.
Chinese stocks rose and the yuan hit a three-week high after
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to delay an additional
increase in tariffs on Chinese goods by two weeks at the request
of China's Vice Premier Liu He "as a gesture of good will."
U.S. stock futures ESc1 rose 0.38% and safe-havens such as
the yen, U.S. Treasuries, and gold weakened in a sign of
improving appetite for risk.
"Trump's comments are likely to put a little juice in the
market, but it could be gone tomorrow," said Hugh Dive, chief
investment officer at Atlas Funds Management in Sydney.
"Some in the market react to small changes in negotiating
positions because Trump is negotiating in the open. I'm more
concerned about Brexit, because there is some complacency in the
EU about this."
Oil prices rose in Asia, rebounding from a tumble on
Wednesday, on hopes OPEC members will cut output to support
prices.
Any easing of concerns about the bruising trade war is
likely to help equities extend their rally this month after a
tumultuous August.
Investors also await an ECB meeting later on Thursday to see
how far policymakers will go to support a flagging economy,
given the risks posed by Britain's divorce from the European
Union, commonly referred to as Brexit.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 .SPX ended 0.72% higher on
Wednesday.
The dollar briefly rose to a six-week high of 108.175 yen
JPY=EBS before paring gains slightly to trade up 0.17% at
108.030 yen.
The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR
rose to 1.7730%, the highest in five weeks, extending a sell-off
in government bonds that started on Sept. 4.
Spot gold XAU= fell 0.14% to $1,495.00 per ounce. GOL/
Trump's delay of additional tariffs on Chinese goods comes
one day after China said it would exempt 16 types of U.S.
products from import tariffs. The world's two largest economies have been locked in
protracted battle over Beijing's trade practices that has raised
the spectre of a global recession.
The gestures of goodwill raise hopes both sides can narrow
their differences before working-level talks resume in
mid-September and high-level trade negotiations that are
expected in October.
In offshore trading, the yuan CNH=D3 rose to a three-week
high of 7.0739 per dollar, while Chinese shares .CSI300 rose
0.66% on renewed optimism about trade talks.
The euro EUR=EBS held steady at $1.1014 but remained near
a one-week low. The ECB is set to unveil fresh stimulus measures
on Thursday but its exact moves are far from clear.
Germany is at risk of slipping into recession and inflation
expectations sliding, but ECB President Mario Draghi, who hands
over the leadership of the central bank to Christine Lagarde at
the end of October, will face resistance to aggressive easing
from more conservative ECB members. Sterling GBP=D3 traded at $1.2328, little changed
following a 0.24% decline on Wednesday after a Scottish court
ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of the
British Parliament was unlawful.
Political wrangling over the terms of the UK's exit from the
EU has weighed on the outlook for the British pound.
U.S. crude CLc1 rose 0.93% to $56.27 in Asia on the day.
Futures tumbled more than 2% on Wednesday following a report
that Trump is considering easing sanctions on Iran, which could
potentially boost oil supplies.
Asian traders were likely focused on OPEC's decision on
Wednesday to cut its forecast for global oil demand in 2020.
OPEC also said all producers have a shared responsibility to
support the oil market. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Treasury yields and gold https://tmsnrt.rs/2Ad784M
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(Editing by Lincoln Feast, Sam Holmes & Shri Navaratnam)