* MSCI world equity index down 0.2 pct at 278.45
* Oil falls, Wall Street set for a weaker start
* Dollar near 2009 low, gold near $1,000/ounce
By Natsuko Waki
LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - European stocks inched up and
gold held near $1,000 an ounce on Wednesday, while the benchmark
world equity index, oil and U.S. stock futures fell, reflecting
investor reluctance to further pile on risky assets.
The low-yielding dollar stayed near its 2009 low against the
euro while U.S. Treasury prices steadied ahead of an auction of
10-year notes later in the day.
World stocks have recouped more than half of losses by
rising 22 percent since January, fuelled by evidence of a
recovering global economy and a weekend Group of 20 pledge to
keep emergency support for their economies in place.
Investors are awaiting the release due later of the Federal
Reserve Beige Book, a summary of U.S. economic conditions in the
12 Fed districts, and a weekly U.S. mortgage market report for
more evidence for a U.S. economic recovery.
"There's no harm in taking some money off the table. We're
seeing a little bit of short-term profit-taking before going
higher again," said Stephen Pope, chief global strategist at
Cantor Fitzgerald.
"I just do not see that this market wants to go down. The
downside risk is very limited at the moment."
MSCI world equity index <.MIWD00000PUS> was down 0.2
percent, having hit an 11-month high on Tuesday. The
FTSEurofirst 300 index <> rose 0.2 percent, erasing early
losses as auto, real estate, oil and gas shares rose.
U.S. stock futures were down 0.1 percent <SPc1>, pointing to
a weaker open on Wall Street.
Emerging stocks <.MSCIEF> dropped 0.5 percent after hitting
a fresh one-year high, levels last seen before the collapse of
Lehman Brothers.
"I suspect the incentives of portfolio managers to bet on a
global recovery should overwhelm those betting on a relapse in
growth," said Stephen Jen, managing director of macroeconomics
and currencies at London-based hedge fund BlueGold Capital
Management, in a note to clients.
U.S. crude oil <CLc1> fell 0.3 percent to $70.87 a barrel
ahead of the OPEC meeting, which is widely expected to keep
output targets unchanged.
Gold stood at $994.40 an ounce <XAU=>, having risen above
$1,000 on Tuesday. Traders say the latest surge in the yellow
metal stemmed from inflows from investors selling dollars to buy
risky commodities.
The dollar was steady against a basket of major currencies
<.DXY> after hitting its lowest level since early October on
Tuesday. It rose 0.1 percent to 92.52 yen <JPY=>.
The September Bund future <FGBLc1> fell 11 ticks while the
benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was at 3.4693 percent
<US10YT=RR>.
(Additional reporting by David Brett; editing by Stephen
Nisbet)
