GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks inch up on trade hopes but growth fears cap gains

* S&P500 futures gain after Mnuchin comments on trade talks
* Dismal euro zone data hurts euro, deepens anxiety about
economy
* European shares seen up 0.2-0.3%
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4

By Hideyuki Sano
TOKYO, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Global shares edged up on Tuesday
after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed
U.S.-China trade talks will resume next month, but lingering
concerns about slowing global growth reduced the overall
appetite for riskier assets.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS inched up 0.1%, led by 0.6% gains in mainland
Chinese shares .CSI300 after the vice head of China's state
planner said Beijing will step up efforts to stabilise growth.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 was up 0.2% after a market holiday on
Monday while European shares are also on track to open higher,
with pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 up 0.26%,
German DAX futures FDXc1 up 0.24% and FTSE futures FFIc1 up
0.33%.
U.S. stock futures ESc1 gained 0.38%, helped by comments
from Mnuchin that U.S.-China trade talks will resume next week.
He later clarified that the negotiations will take place in two
weeks. "The comments gave a little bit of boost to sentiment, but
markets are still not that optimistic either," said Masahiro
Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset
Management.
"It seems there have been a lot going on behind the scenes,"
he said, referring to unusual exchanges in which U.S. President
Donald Trump questioned a decision by his top trade negotiators
to ask Chinese officials to delay a planned trip to U.S. farming
regions. That cancellation was seen by markets as a sign all is not
well in the U.S.-China talks and helped send share prices lower
on Friday.
The dispute between the world's two largest economies has
dragged on for well over a year, rattling investors and denting
global growth.
Concerns over a slowing global economy remained front and
centre for financial markets, hurting earnings estimates, as
poor business activity readings from the euro zone deepened
fears of a recession and suggested more stimulus was required.
"While the Nikkei was fairly well supported, we need more
catalysts to further rises. That's also true for U.S. markets as
well," said Takeo Kamai, head of execution service at CLSA.
"Although speculators have reacted to the trade-related
headlines, real-money people appear to be staying on the
sideline."
The euro wobbled at $1.0987 EUR= , falling below a key
support around $1.10 and not far from a 28-month low of $1.0926
touched earlier this month.
Sterling also slipped to $1.2431 GBP=D4 , after peaked at a
two-month high of $1.2582 set on Friday as traders awaited a
Supreme Court ruling on whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson
misled Queen Elizabeth over his reasons for suspending
parliament this month. The Supreme Court said it will issue its decision at 0930
GMT on Tuesday.
The collapse of the British travel firm Thomas Cook TCG.L
could also put some pressure on the pound by highlighting the
weakness of British retailing. The yen traded at 107.62 yen per dollar JPY= , having hit
two-week highs of 107.32 on Monday.
U.S. Treasuries yields extended their decline, with the
10-year rate falling to 1.716% US10YT=RR , edging down further
from 1.908% marked on Sept. 13.
Oil prices also dipped amid gloomy demand outlook as
investors fret about a global slowdown although uncertainty on
whether Saudi Arabia would be able to restore full output after
the attacks on its facilities provided some support.
Brent crude LCOc1 futures fell 0.52% to $64.43 a barrel
while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 lost 0.48%
to $58.36 per barrel.

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(Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Richard Borsuk)