* Euro STOXX up 0.4%
* German stocks hits record high
* Equities gain on economic optimism
* Treasury market remains calm after sell-off
* Graphic: Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
* Graphic: World FX rates http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Tom Wilson
LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - Shares from Asia to Europe
gained on Wednesday, as a retreat in U.S. Treasury yields
fuelled demand for riskier assets from oil to bitcoin and kept
the dollar pinned down.
The Euro STOXX 600 .STOXX added 0.5%, with Frankfurt
shares .GDAXI climbing 1% to a record high and London's FTSE
.FTSE gaining 1.1% before the UK's new budget is introduced,
with measures to boost the economy.
Carmakers .SXAP led the gains, adding more than 3% to
reach their highest since June 2018.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS was up 1.7%, led by shares in China .CSI300 .
Wall Street was set to make gains, too, with e-mini S&P
futures ESc1 up 0.6%.
The gains for equities came as benchmark U.S. government
bond yields steadied further after last month's sell-off.
The yield on 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR stood at
1.41%, down from last week's one-year high of 1.61%, before a
slew of U.S. economic data set for release later this week. Bond
yields rise when their prices fall.
Euro zone government bond yields were little changed, with
the benchmark German 10-year Bund yield DE10YT=RR flat at
-0.34%. It spiked last week to -0.203%. Surging yields across the world, fuelled by moves in
Treasuries, have buffeted financial markets in recent weeks.
Investors were betting a strong U.S. economic rebound amid
ultra-loose monetary conditions would fuel inflation.
Still, optimism that more imminent U.S. stimulus will
energise the global economic recovery buoyed stocks, with U.S.
President Joe Biden close to passing a $1.9 trillion spending
package.
"We are caught in the middle of this crossfire between a
more positive macro situation, and some excesses that have been
developing here and there," said Olivier Marciot, senior
portfolio manager at Unigestion.
"The market is reassessing the situation as whether or not
it (stock market gains) have been too high and too fast."
Wall Street had ended lower on Tuesday, pulled down by Apple
AAPL.O and Tesla TSLA.O as fears on overly high valuations
lingered.
The MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS , which tracks
shares in 49 countries, gained 0.3%.
FROTHY PRICES?
Some analysts warned stock prices may be frothy, a fear
echoed by a top Chinese regulatory official on Tuesday, and
could make it hard for equity markets to hang on to gains if
governments and central banks tighten the stimulus taps.
Fears that last week's sell-off in U.S. Treasuries could
resume may also put a lid on stock prices, they said.
"The big question is whether those valuations can be
justified as the economy and markets are weaned off the massive
levels of stimulus they've been receiving over the last year,"
Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note.
Improved sentiment weighed on the U.S. dollar and helped
riskier currencies.
The dollar had gained in recent days from hopes the United
States would enjoy a faster economic recovery, and that the U.S.
central bank would tolerate higher bond yields.
Yet an index of the dollar =USD against six of its major
peers =USD was little changed at 90.787, after dropping back
from a nearly one-month high overnight.
Ahead of the UK finance minister Rishi Sunak's budget speech
beginning at 1230 GMT, the pound GBP=D3 was flat at
$1.3956. The Australian dollar AUD=D3 , which has benefited from
bets on an acceleration in global trade, held flat around
$0.7811 as stronger-than-expected economic growth fuelled hopes
for a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Bitcoin BTC=BTSP jumped more than 6% to climb above
$50,000 and to its highest in a week.
Gold, on the other hand, slipped 0.8% XAU= .
Oil prices rose, boosted by expectations that OPEC+
producers might decide against increasing output when they meet
this week.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 rose 1.9% to
$60.89 a barrel. Brent futures LCOc1 rose 1.3% to $63.88.
O/R
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Global assets http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl
Global currencies vs. dollar http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Emerging markets http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV
MSCI All Country World Index Market Cap http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
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