* Global stocks fall as Shanghai tumbles 6.7 pct
* Historic Japan opposition win boosts yen
* Oil down on doubts about Chinese economy
(updates prices, adds quotes)
By David Stamp
LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Global stocks edged lower on
Monday, dragged down by a 6.7 percent tumble in China which sent
nervous investors into the yen, while an historic opposition
victory in Japanese elections also gave the currency a boost.
Shanghai's big drop had a psychological knock-on effect on
international sentiment, even though Chinese share trading is
largely cut off from global markets.
U.S. stock index futures also pointed to a lower open on
Wall Street on Monday as investors worried about whether Beijing
authorities will keep on boosting the Chinese economy, one of
the leaders of the global recovery.
"The worry is that (China) will stop putting money into the
system. That will hurt China," said Philippe Gijsels, senior
equity strategist at Fortis Bank, in Brussels. "Of course, that
has a very important impact on the world economy, or the
sentiment at least."
Global investors, nervous about whether the major economies
can pull convincingly out of recession with China's help, shied
away from risk taking and opted for the perceived safety of the
yen and government bonds.
MSCI's <.MIWD00000PUS> all-country world stock index was
down 0.56 percent at 1055 GMT in a market subdued by a public
holiday in Britain, while the FTSEurofirst 300 <> index of
top European shares was down 0.47 percent after reaching a
10-month high on Friday.
Shanghai stocks <> fell 6.7 percent to a three-month
closing low and recorded their second-biggest monthly loss in 15
years. []
Foreign investment on the Chinese stock market is limited,
leaving trading largely to domestic players. Nevertheless,
global investors decided to play safe after strong gains in
recent months. For instance, the FTSEurofirst 300, which plunged
45 percent in 2008, is up nearly 17 percent this year and about
50 percent from a lifetime low in early March.
"What we are facing here is a worried market ... We've had
such a nice rise here that everyone is talking about pullback,"
said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners
in New York.
STRONGER YEN
In Tokyo, the Nikkei average fell as the stronger yen and
tumbling Shanghai stocks helped to erase a jump to an 11-month
high after the election results.
Sunday's landslide victory for Yukio Hatoyama's Democrats
ends a half-century of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal
Democratic Party and breaks parliamentary deadlock. []
For a graphic on the Japanese election results, click on:
http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/089/JP_PLTC0809.gif
However, the market was struggling to interpret the results.
"We remain sceptical whether the yen will hold on to these
gains as the incoming DPJ government is facing massive hurdles,"
Commerzbank analysts said in a note. "Unemployment is at a
record high, public debt is the highest within the G7 and the
Japanese social system is facing more and more problems due to
demographic changes."
The Nikkei lost 0.4 percent or 41.61 points to 10,492.53
after bouncing briefly to an 11-month high of 10,767.00.
YEN RISES BROADLY
The yen rose broadly, hitting a seven-week high against the
dollar. "Clearly the yen is getting a boost from risk aversion
and from falls in Chinese stocks," said Stockholm-based SEB
currency strategist Carl Hammer.
Currency investors hoped that new policies in Japan will
support consumer spending in an economy trapped in deflation and
haunted by a weak growth outlook.
At 1100 GMT, the dollar was 0.6 percent lower at 93.05 yen
<JPY=>, having earlier hit a low of 92.54 yen on trading
platform EBS, its weakest level since mid-July. The euro lost
0.7 percent to 132.87 yen <EURJPY=R>. Against the dollar, the
euro dipped to $1.4277 <EUR=>. []
Risk aversion also helped government bonds. The Bund future
<FGBLc1> was 14 ticks up on the day at 122.77, while benchmark
10-year Treasury notes <US10YT=RR> rose 5/32 in price to yield
3.431 percent, down two basis points from on Friday.
Oil fell more than 2 percent to around $71 a barrel as the
drop in China's key stock index stoked worries about the pace of
economic recovery and a revival in energy demand.
U.S. crude for October <CLc1> fell $1.72 to $71.02 a barrel
by 1053 GMT. London Brent crude <LCOc1> lost $1.90 to $70.89.
"The sharp drop in Chinese markets is causing concerns and
is inevitably making some investors rethink the risks to China's
economy and question their assumptions on the country's growth
rate and energy consumption," said Daniel Liu, a commodities
strategist at MG Global Singapore.
