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World stocks end rough month higher as U.S. inflation information looms

International stocks increased on Friday and were set for a 4th straight month of gains in spite of a bout of heavy selling in early August, as bets on U.S. rate cuts also put the dollar on track for its worst month because November.

MSCI's broad index of worldwide shares edged 0.1% higher on Friday to head for a 1.8% regular monthly gain while the dollar index was set for a more than 2.5% monthly decline after also dropping in July.

That marked a sensational healing from a turbulent start to August when a variety of weaker-than-expected U.S. financial data and a surprise Bank of Japan rate hike wreaked chaos in currency carry trades and drove an Aug. 5 equity sell-off reminiscent of October 1987's Black Monday.

The next couple of weeks might be volatile across worldwide markets, however, as investors puzzle over whether U.S. growth is now in fact too strong for the Fed to ease monetary conditions rapidly.

We're seeing a bond market that is rates in a great deal of lodging and an equity market that is fairly supported by development, Pictet Property Management co-head of multi-asset Shaniel Ramjee stated.

Stocks could put in further gains, especially in cyclical sectors like banks, he said.

However the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury, at below 3.9% on Friday after a strong rally in government bond markets, was too low in the face of current strong data, he included. Bond yields move inversely to costs.

The U.S. economy grew faster than initially believed in the 2nd quarter of this year due to the fact that of strong consumer spending, and business profits, a report on Thursday revealed.

The release in the future Friday of U.S. core personal usage expenses (PCE), the Fed's favoured inflation measure, also has the prospective to move the rate outlook.

Cash markets are with confidence pricing the Fed's first 25 basis point (bp) cut of this cycle at its Sept. 18 meeting, with a 33% chance of a jumbo 50 bp reduction.

That view continued to raise equity markets worldwide on Friday. Europe's Stoxx index rose 0.2% to a record intraday high in early transactions and Britain's FTSE 100 strike a three-month high.

U.S. stock futures also pointed to an extension of Wall Street's favorable run, with Nasdaq contracts 0.7% higher and those tracking the S&P 500 index up 0.4%.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan increased 0.7%, set for a 2.2% regular monthly boost.

Japan's Nikkei, following its early month collapse, was set to lose 1.6% for the month but rose 0.3% on Friday.

DOLLAR PROBLEMS

Against the yen, the dollar last stood at 144.79 and was set to lose more than 3% for the month, as pressure reduced on the Japanese currency on the possibility of constricting rate of interest differentials.

Core inflation in Japan's capital Tokyo sped up for a. 4th straight month in August, data showed on Friday, with the. 2.4% rate increase signalling additional BoJ rate hikes ahead.

The euro fell 0.02% to $1.1075, having decreased. 0.38% in the previous session after lower-than-expected German. inflation data contributed to bets of additional European Central Bank. ( ECB) rate cuts.

Euro zone federal government bonds were little bit changed ahead of. bloc-wide inflation figures on Friday. The German 10-year bond. yield, the benchmark for the euro zone, slipped 0.8. basis indicate 2.28% and the rates of interest sensitive two-year. yield DE2YT= RR was bit changed at 2.36%. In products, Brent crude futures added 0.7% to. $ 80.51 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures got 0.8% to. $ 76.54

Area gold was steady AT $2,519.86 an ounce, however. was set for a 2.7% gain for the month, assisted by the weaker. dollar.

(source: Reuters)