* MSCI Asia-Pac index down 0.5 pct, heads for 3rd day oflosses
* Asia weakens after Wall St suffers worst month in 2 years
* Hawkish Fed prospects prompts dollar comeback
* Spreadbetters expect European stocks to open lower
By Shinichi Saoshiro
TOKYO, March 1 (Reuters) - Asian stocks were mostly lower onThursday after Wall Street marked its worst monthly performancein two years as hawkish-sounding comments from new FederalReserve Chair Jerome Powell reverberated across the broader riskasset markets.
Spreadbetters expected European stocks to open lower, withBritain's FTSE .FTSE falling 0.7 percent, Germany's DAX .GDAXI slipping 0.8 percent and France's CAC .FCHI retreating 0.75 percent.
Investors have been on edge in recent weeks amid concernsthat rising interest rates in advanced economies, led by theUnited States, could sap global growth.
Powell, in his first public appearance as head of the Fed, vowed at a congressional hearing on Tuesday (U.S. time) toprevent the economy from overheating while sticking with a planto gradually raise interest rates. comments rekindled speculation in equity markets overU.S. monetary tightening this year happening faster thanexpected, feeding concerns that higher borrowing costs couldcrimp corporate activity and cool economic growth.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.5 percent and headed for its thirdday of losses.
Chinese shares bucked the trend and edged up after a privatesurvey showed growth in China's manufacturing sector picking upto a six-month high. Shanghai shares .SSEC were 0.15 percenthigher. stocks .AXJO fell 0.7 percent, South Korea'sKOSPI .KS11 shed 1.2 percent and Japan's Nikkei .N225 dropped 1.55 percent.
The losses in Asia came amid a broad selloff on Wall Street,where the Dow .DJI and S&P 500 .SPX capped their worstmonths since January 2016 overnight after suffering sharp lossesearly in February. .N
The Dow scaled an all-time high late in January, beforefalling about 12 percent from that peak at the start of Februaryas a rise in U.S. yields to multi-year highs unnerved WallStreet. It went on to recover a bulk of those losses, but therebound stalled in the wake of Powell's comments.
The Fed's last round of economic projections in Decemberpointed to three rate increases this year, but Powell's remarks prompted investors to wager on four rate rises instead.
"The markets will try to further price in prospects ofaccelerated Fed tightening if the U.S. employment report onMarch 9 and inflation data on March 12 point to growth in wagesand a rise in prices," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategistat Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management in Tokyo.
"In such a case we could see another round of risinglong-term Treasury yields, dollar appreciation and decline inU.S. equities."
DOLLAR COMEBACK CONTINUES
The dollar, which retreated to three-year lows last month,has taken heart from the Fed chair's comments. The dollar indexagainst a basket of six major currencies .DXY rose to 90.744,its highest since Jan. 19 and last stood at 90.703.
The index has managed to claw back from the three-yeartrough of 88.253 set in mid-February when fears of a ballooningU.S. budget deficit and lingering worries that Washington couldpursue a weak dollar policy took a toll.
"The comeback by the dollar could negatively impact crudeoil prices and in turn cool inflation expectations. In thatcase, the equity markets could be forced to undergo significantadjustments," said Makoto Noji, senior strategist at SMBC NikkoSecurities in Tokyo.
U.S. crude oil futures CLc1 stood little changed at $61.65per barrel after sliding more than 2 percent overnight. Brentcrude LCOc1 lost 0.1 percent to $64.66 per barrel.
A stronger greenback tends to weigh on commodities includingcrude as it makes them more expensive for non-U.S. buyers ofdollar-denominated products.
The euro was steady at $1.2192 EUR= and in close reach ofa 1-1/2-month low of $1.2188 plumbed the previous day. Thecommon currency came under pressure after data on Wednesdayshowed euro zone inflation slowing to a 14-month low andunderscored the European Central Bank's caution over removingits monetary stimulus.
The dollar was little changed at 106.750 yen JPY= , havingslipped from the week's peak of 107.680 as broader risk aversionfavoured its Japanese peer.
The Australian dollar was down 0.45 percent at $0.7728 afterbrushing $0.7717 AUD=D4 , its lowest since late December.
Long-term U.S. Treasury yields US10YT=RR stood littlechanged at 2.864 percent after declining about 3 basis pointsovernight on month-end purchases by investors rebalancing theirportfolios and weaker Wall Street shares. US/
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