* MSCI Asia Ex-Japan rises 0.6 pct
* Oil touches highest level since November, nears $70 per barrel
* Sterling ticks up as May seeks further Brexit delay
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Andrew Galbraith
SHANGHAI, April 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares rose to fresh seven-month highs on Wednesday as global investors took heart from signs of progress in U.S.-China trade talks and brisk economic data, while oil approached the key $70 per barrel mark.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.65 percent shortly after markets in China opened, touching its highest level since late August.
The index has risen nearly 3 percent since Thursday following reports of trade talk progress between the United States and China, as well as reassuring factory activity data from China and the U.S.
Hopes for a deal to end the trade war between the world's two largest economies were fanned by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow's comments on Wednesday that Washington expects "to make more headway" in trade talks this week. global run of gains has also pushed MSCI's key gauge of global equities .MIWD00000PUS to a six-month high. The global index was up 0.2 percent on Wednesday morning.
Australian shares .AXJO were up 0.68 percent, and Japan's Nikkei stock index .N225 added 0.76 percent. Chinese blue-chips .CSI300 were up about 0.2 percent.
On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.3 percent to 26,179.13 points, the S&P 500 .SPX was flat and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 0.25 percent to 7,848.69.
"After such a strong rise it is no surprise that the risk rally stalled a little," said Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro.
But after a brief consolidation in risk sentiment, U.S. Treasury yields once again ticked higher.
Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR yielded 2.4991 percent, up from a U.S. close of 2.479 percent on Tuesday, and the two-year yield US2YT=RR touched 2.3226 percent compared with a U.S. close of 2.308 percent.
Oil prices also stood near multi-month highs amid concerns about supply, with Brent crude LCOc1 rising as much as 0.72 percent to $69.87 per barrel, its highest since November and near the psychologically important level of $70 per barrel.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 jumped 0.37 percent to $62.81 a barrel.
News that the United States is considering more sanctions against Iran, the fourth-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the halting of production at a crude terminal in Venezuela threaten to squeeze supply and pushed oil prices up on Tuesday. currency markets, the pound was about 0.1 percent higher at $1.3138 GBP= , having recovered its footing after British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would seek another delay to Brexit to work out an EU divorce deal with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. dollar strengthened against the yen to 111.47 JPY= and the euro EUR= added 0.18 percent to buy $1.1222.
The dollar index .DXY , which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, eased 0.18 percent to 97.183.
Gold was slightly lower, with spot gold XAU= trading at $1,292.46 per ounce. GOL/