* MSCI world equity index up 0.12 pct at 245.41
* Euro zone data boosts stocks, dollar steady
* Oil rises, eyes tensions in Nigeria
By Carolyn Cohn
LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - European shares climbed 1
percent on Monday, boosted by upbeat euro zone data, while the
dollar steadied after falling late last week on a renewed call
by China for a super-sovereign reserve currency.
Euro zone economic sentiment improved more than expected in
June, data showed on Monday, as the European Commission
predicted the worst could be over for the 16-country currency
area. []
"The ECB will find themselves affirmed that the economy is
bottoming out and that the worst is over," said Joerg Angele,
analyst at Bayerische Landesbank.
"It's bad, but it's not getting worse."
The FTSEurofirst 300 index <> rose 1 percent, led by
energy companies and financials.
The MSCI world equity index <.MIWD00000PUS> edged up 0.12
percent towards 12-day highs hit on Friday. However, the index
is down over 4 percent from the year's highs set earlier this
month.
U.S. stock index futures <SPc1><DJc1> indicated a slightly
higher open on Wall Street.
World stocks have shuffled sideways in the past few weeks as
investors have questioned how quickly the global economy will
return to growth, giving a boost to battered government bonds
and pushing yields lower.
U.S. employment data are due on Thursday ahead of a U.S.
holiday on Friday, and the European Central Bank and Sweden's
Riksbank issue policy statements this week.
"With the payrolls coming up, and the ECB and Riksbank, I
don't think there's a great appetite to take on big risk this
week," said Maurice Pomery, managing director of Strategic
Alpha.
Many investors are also sticking to the sidelines as the
second quarter winds down and ahead of U.S. and European summer
holidays.
CHINA WATCH
The dollar index, a gauge of its performance against six
major currencies, dipped 0.05 percent to 79.833 <.DXY>, but held
off a two-week low struck on Friday.
The euro inched up 0.07 percent to $1.4059 <EUR=>, recouping
losses earlier in the session, and the dollar was up 0.16
percent against the yen at 95.35 <JPY=>.
The dollar fell last week after China, which holds nearly $2
trillion of reserves believed to be concentrated in dollars,
repeated its calls for an end to the dominance of a single
currency in global finance.
China and Brazil said on the sidelines of a weekend meeting
of central bankers in Basel they were discussing a currency
arrangement to allow exports and importers to settle deals in
local currencies, thereby avoiding the dollar. []
Pressure from emerging market countries to seek an
alternative to the dollar as reserve currency has contributed to
weakness in the U.S. currency in recent weeks.
Crude oil rose 0.74 percent to $69.89 a barrel <CLc1> on
supply concerns after Nigeria's main militant group said it
attacked a Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> oil platform.
Euro zone government bond futures rose 20 ticks <FGBLU9>,
helped by strong gains in UK gilts on month-end buying and weak
UK data.
(Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Ron Askew)
