* MSCI world equity index up 1.3 pct, highest since Jan 12
* Many risk trades back on the table, US dollar lower
* Asia scales 6-mth peaks; European banks, miners surge
* Government bond yields rise, oil firms on economy hopes
By Sujata Rao
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - Global stock markets surged on
Thursday to their highest levels since January, as some upbeat
corporate earnings added to investors' hopes that a
stabilisation of the ailing world economy may finally be
underway.
Asian stocks outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> led the way,
scaling six-month peaks and markets such as Taiwan <>
recorded their biggest one-day gain in 19 years.
Both the MSCI world index <.MIWD00000PUS> and its emerging
markets component <.MSCIEF> are on course for 12 percent and 17
pct gains respectively in April -- their biggest one-month gains
in the 20-year history of the indices. Emerging stocks rose over
3 percent on the day to the highest since mid-October.
European markets followed suit, with the FTSEurofirst 300
<> index of top European shares up over 2 percent, adding
to a 1.9 percent gain on Wednesday to hit the highest since
mid-January
Global market sentiment was buoyed after the U.S. Federal
Reserve's latest policy statement on Wednesday said the economic
outlook was improving while it vowed to keep interest rates at
historic lows for longer and retain a super-easy money stance.
The latest U.S. data showed an unexpected fall in new
jobless claims, although consumer spending also fell for the
first time in three months.
"People are happy to romance the idea that maybe
policymakers are gaining traction and maybe the global economy
has at least got past the low point," Paul Robson, strategist at
RBS in London said, cautioning however that the risk demand was
based more on "hope than reality."
Positive earnings surprises on Thursday from the likes of
mining group Anglo American Plc <AAL.L>, German truck maker MAN
<MANG.DE>, Chemicals giant BASF <BASF.DE> added to the buoyant
tone on European bourses which rose for the second day running.
Banking and insurance stocks gained, benefiting from
positive sector research that forecast most UK banks to emerge
from 2009 with a profit. Barclays <BARC.L> shares surged 11
percent and Royal Bank of Scotland <RBS.L> rose 16 percent.
GEAR SHIFT
But the shift in investment gears from super-safe assets
into relatively riskier, higher-yielding assets has been gaining
traction through the second-quarter so far.
"This is not a technical rebound but a clear rally. It's a
real change in trend; the bear market is behind us," said
Francois Chevallier, strategist at Banque Leonardo in Paris.
"It has been fuelled by what could be called a technical
recovery in macro data that might not last but it's enough for
stocks to get out of the doldrums," he added.
Even though the outbreak of swine flu and fears for a
pandemic briefly stalled the rally on Monday, investors are
already betting the economic fallout from the spread of the
virus will be limited as the mortality rate is contained.
For many investors, the bullish mood reflects a growing
conviction the swathe of emergency fiscal and monetary policies
now in place to stimulate the world economy will prevent a deep
depression taking hold and that some cyclical recovery will may
well be underway by year-end.
First-quarter U.S. gross domestic product data out on
Wednesday reinforced that view. A record drop in U.S. business
inventories and surprisingly robust consumer spending were
widely seen by economists as positive pointing to a growth
pick-up in the world's largest economy in coming months.
"There is a feeling that the Armageddon story is off, albeit
it at the price of a generational collapse in fiscal prudence,"
Alan Ruskin, economist at RBS said in a note to clients.
"Obviously this market could get hit extremely hard by a
swine flu story, but the perception that the negative tail risks
on growth are dissipating will provide some backbone to risk
appetite," said Ruskin.
RISK TRADES
Apart from the surge in equity markets, the rise in risk
appetite could be seen across global prices.
The dollar slid as investors shifted funds into
higher-yielding currencies though it pared losses after hitting
a three week low against a basket of currencies.
It shed 0.5 percent to 84.24 <.DXY>, while the euro climbed
0.4 percent to 1.3310 <EUR=> to the highest in over two weeks.
Oil prices <CLc1> rose towards $52 a barrel a two-week high
in response to a more optimistic view on the world economy while
government bonds, seen as safe-havens in times of stress, fell.
At 1210 GMT, June German government bund futures <FGBLc1>
were down 60 ticks on the day at 122.48, compared with
Wednesday's settlement close, having earlier touched a session
low of 122.20.
(Additional reporting by Mike Dolan in London, Simon Falush
and Naomi Tajitsu in London; Blaise Robinson in Paris and Eric
Burroughs in Hong Kong; Editing by Toby Chopra)
