(Recasts, updates levels throughout)
* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* MSCI ex-Japan falter; losses led by China
* Futures for U.S., European markets tick up, gold eases
* Coronavirus death toll in China rises to 361
* China c.bank injects $174 bln of liquidity on Monday
* Economists lower growth forecasts for Chinese economy
By Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Asian shares were dragged to near two-month lows on Monday by Chinese markets, which plunged on their first trading day after a long break on fears the coronavirus epidemic would hit demand in the world's second-largest economy.
Aiming to head off any panic, the Chinese government took steps to shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs because of the virus. the support, Chinese shares were deep in red, with the blue-chip index .CSI300 stumbling 7.8% to a 4-1/2 month trough. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index .SSEC lost $420 billion of its value while the yuan opened at its weakest level in 2020, sliding past the symbolic 7-per-dollar level CNY= . China's losses were heavy, they were mostly a product of selling pressure that had built up over the Lunar New Year break, not a reflection of new market fears. In contrast, futures for U.S. and European shares inched up, oil pared early losses while safe havens Japanese yen JPY= and gold XAU= stepped back from recent highs.
"The impact in Chinese equity markets have been in line with what futures were suggesting so the market has taken the slump in its stride," said Rodrigo Catril, Sydney-based strategist at National Australia Bank. "There was also some cushion from the new measures."
E-Mini futures for the S&P500 ESc1 jumped 0.6% during Asian hours on Monday pointing to a positive start for Wall Street after a rout last week.
The pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 also ticked up 0.1% in early European trades as did German DAX futures FDXc1 while London's FTSE futures FFIc1 added 0.4%.
Yet, Asian markets, more broadly, remained in a sell-off mode with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS down for an eighth straight day to be off 0.9% at 527.39 points, its lowest since early December.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 dived 1% to the lowest since November and Australia's benchmark index .AXJO ended 1.3% lower.
"We are in a very precarious position with many key market indicators at pivot levels where it will only take just one significant bad news for them to spiral lower," Catril added.
"Since macro indicators come with a lag the focus is on the virus itself - whether the increase in confirmed cases look to be decelerating or not could be the next big trigger."
A total of 361 people have died in China from the coronavirus with the first death out of the mainland reported on Sunday in the Philippines. SLOWDOWN
In a bid to soften the blow on China's economy, the country's central bank cut reverse repo rates by 10 basis points and injected 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8 billion) of liquidity into the markets on Monday. also said it would help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported. a raft of global economists, including Citigroup (NYSE:C), Nomura and JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM), downgraded their forecasts for China's GDP growth. extension, this will likely have an impact on global growth, too, given China's large contribution to global growth," Nomura said.
That means equity markets, and especially those in Asia, will likely remain under pressure as the number of infections is expected to increase in the weeks ahead.
"Until the rate of new cases peaks, equities are in limbo – too late to sell, too early to buy," said Sean Darby, Hong Kong-based strategist at Jefferies.
As Chinese markets opened after the 10-day break, Shanghai copper SCFcv1 hit its daily selling limit as did Shanghai crude oil ISCcv1 while yields on the country's 30-year government bonds traded in the interbank market were down 18.5 basis points. soymeal DSMcv1 plunged 4.1% while Dalian iron ore DCIOcv1 hit limit down with steel prices tumbling too. currencies, the safe-haven Japanese yen JPY= eased a tad but was still near a 3-1/2-week high against the dollar at 108.48. The euro EUR= was 0.1% lower at $1.1084 and the pound GBP= slipped 0.3% to $1.3162.
That left the dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, a shade higher at 97.479. .DXY
Gold XAU= , which posted its best month in five in January, slipped 0.65% to $1,579.5 an ounce, while yields on U.S. debt came off lows. US2YT=RR
Oil futures too pared early losses after skidding sharply earlier in the session on concerns the coronavirus outbreak would hit China's oil demand. Brent crude LCOc1 was last down 30 cents at $56.32 a barrel after falling more than $1 at one stage. U.S. crude CLc1 reversed its slide to be up 2 cents at $51.58.
https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 Asia-Pacific valuations
https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Sam Holmes)