* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Pound surges as exit polls show Tories with majority
* Nikkei highest since Oct 2018 on reports of Sino-U.S.
trade deal
* Markets scale back risk of rate cuts around the world
* Safe-haven bonds, yen fall away
By Wayne Cole
SYDNEY, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Asian shares scaled eight-month
peaks on Friday as a last-gasp Sino-U.S. trade deal and a likely
major election win by Britain's Conservative Party looked to
have cleared a couple of dark clouds from the global horizon.
The double dose of relief slugged safe-haven sovereign bonds
and the Japanese yen, and led markets to scale back the chance
of more interest rates cuts around the world.
"Global investors have been given two of the biggest gifts
on their Christmas list and should be appreciative for a while
at least," said Sean Callow, a senior forex analyst at Westpac.
"Global equity indices such as MSCI World should set more record
highs and sterling could push above $1.36."
The pound hit its highest since mid-2018 as UK exit polls
seemed to rule out a shock win by the left-wing Labour
opposition, and could help clarify the outlook for Brexit.
Polls suggested Prime Minster Boris Johnson could gain a
commanding 368 seats in Britain's Parliament, settling another
long-standing uncertainty. The pound was last up 2.4% at $1.3476 GBP=D3 and reached
levels on the euro not visited since mid-2016.
A wave of trade euphoria had already lifted Wall Street to
record highs. Reuters reported the United States has agreed to
reduce some tariffs on Chinese goods and delay a tranche of
tariffs as part of a phase one deal. China also has agreed to make $50 billion in agricultural
purchases in 2020 as part of the deal, that person and another
U.S. source familiar with the talks said.
"If the U.S. cuts the current tariffs to some extent as
reported, that is not something markets have priced in, so we
could see a further leg up in the stock market," said Norihiro
Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan
Stanley Securities in Tokyo. "The Conservatives appear to be on
course for a big win. We are now finally seeing a clear
direction on Brexit after three years of deadlock."
LESS NEED FOR MORE CUTS?
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei .N225 climbed 2.4% to a 14-month
top, while South Korean stocks .KS11 firmed 1.3%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS climbed 1.2% to its highest since late April.
Shanghai blue chips .CSI300 advanced 1.4%.
E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 rose 0.4% to another
peak, and EUROSTOXX 50 futures STXEc1 gained 0.9%. FTSE
futures FFIc1 eased 0.2%, perhaps because a Tory win had
already been priced in.
Wall Street had celebrated the trade news with record highs.
The Dow .DJI ended Thursday up 0.79%, while the S&P 500 .SPX
gained 0.86% and the Nasdaq .IXIC 0.73%.
That was bad news for bonds and yields on U.S. 10-year
Treasuries US10YT=RR shot up to 1.91%, a rise of 12 basis
points in just two sessions.
Interest rate futures 0#FF: slipped as investors priced in
less chance of a rate cut from the Federal Reserve next year - a
shift seen across a range of developed nations.
Other safe harbours also took a beating, with the yen
sliding across the board. The dollar firmed further to 109.52
yen JPY= having risen 0.7% overnight.
The dollar fared less well elsewhere as the pound and the
euro both benefited from the UK exit polls. The euro added 0.4%
to $1.1176 EUR= , while the dollar slipped to 96.742 .DXY on
a basket of currencies.
The dollar also lost out to the Chinese yuan to hit an
18-week low as any trade truce would be seen as a boon for the
export-heavy economy. The dollar was last at 6.9715 yuan CNH=
having shed a steep 1.2% overnight.
The shift from safe havens left spot gold flat at $1,468.48
per ounce XAU= .
Oil prices rallied on hopes a trade deal would support
global growth and thus demand. O/R
U.S. crude CLc1 added 35 cents to $59.53 a barrel, while
Brent crude LCOc1 rose 47 cents to $64.67.
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Asia-Pacific valuations https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA
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(Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sam Holmes)