* Europe, Asian stocks rise after PBOC sets yuan higher
* Nikkei jumps 7 pct after worst week since 2008
* Crude adds to Friday's 10 pct gain
* Gold slips after strongest week in four years
By John Geddie
LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - World stocks rose sharply on
Monday as China's central bank fixed the yuan at a much stronger
rate and oil cemented recent gains, easing fears of global
deflation.
The rally belied a string of poor economic data from Beijing
and Tokyo as demand for safe-haven assets waned, yet investors
remained on edge due to lingering concerns about growth and the
health of the financial sector.
European stocks rose 3 percent .FTEU3 , having shed nearly
10 percent over the last fortnight, mirroring a bounce in Asia.
Futures pointed to notional gains of 1.6 percent on Wall Street
ESc1 but U.S. markets will be closed for a holiday.
Meanwhile, assets that tend to perform well in times of
stress lagged. The Japanese yen lost ground against the U.S.
dollar, top-rated German bond yields edged away from nine-month
lows and gold slipped 2 percent after its strongest week in four
years. GOL/
"We had a very strong statement from the Chinese authorities
signaling they are committed to a stable currency and that's
helped sentiment ... safe-haven flows have unwound somewhat,"
said RIA Capital Markets strategist Nick Stamenkovic.
In China, spot yuan jumped more than 1 percent to 6.4934 per
dollar - its firmest this year - after the People's Bank of
China set its daily midpoint 0.3 percent stronger and the head
of the bank was quoted as saying speculators should not be
allowed to dominate market sentiment. CNY/
A stronger yuan reduces the risk that China will export
deflation to the world, while worries about consumer price
growth have also been helped by bounce back in the oil price.
Brent LCOc1 and U.S. crude futures CLc1 edged up on
Monday adding to Friday's 10 percent surge on speculation that
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
might finally agree to cut output to reduce a world glut. O/R
Euro zone long-term inflation expectations also rebounded
from record lows on Monday even as Germany's Bundesbank cut its
forecast for consumer price growth in the bloc's biggest
economy. GVD/EUR
DISCONNECT
China's weak exports and imports in January, down 11.2
percent and 18.8 percent year-on-year respectively, seemed not
to disturb markets. The resulting jump in the country's trade
surplus to $63 billion for the month might have helped, as that
may offer support to the yuan.
The disconnect between markets and economics was perhaps
starkest in Japan, where the Nikkei .N225 jumped more than 7
percent, putting its worst week since the depths of the global
financial crisis in 2008 quickly behind it.
This came despite data showing the economy contracted by an
annualised 1.4 percent in the last three months of 2015, more
than expected.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
rose 2.3 percent .MIAPJ0000PUS , after losing 10 percent of its
value so far this year.
European shares followed in their wake, led by a 4 percent
rebound in banking stocks .SX7P on news that the European
Central Bank (ECB) is in talks to buy bundles of Italian bad
bank loans as part of its asset-purchase programme. .EU
Yet some strategists cautioned that Monday's rebound may
prove short-lived, with concern that central banks have little
ammunition left to fight off the heady mix of an oil-induced
deflationary forces, capital outflows and economic weakness in
China, and pressure on the world's financial sector.
"It's possible we could see calmer markets this week but we
are not out of the woods yet," Thomas Harr. global head of fixed
income and currency research at Danske Bank in Copenhagen.
"For the last couple of weeks we have seen a bit of central
bank fatigue - they have cut rates into negative but it isn't
having much of an impact."
Against a basket of currencies .DXY , the dollar was up
slightly at 96.433 having been at its lowest in almost four
months. Likewise, it edged up to 113.99 yen JPY= , having
touched a 15-month trough just under 111.00 last week.
The euro was last down 0.6 percent at $1.1184 EUR= , having
slipped from a 3-1/2 month peak of $1.1377.