* China rally extends for eighth session, yuan soars
* Gold above $1,800/oz for first time since 2011
* Investors hope for positive outlook from U.S. earnings
* World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Marc Jones
LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Thursday after a two-day wobble, as Chinese markets continued their charge, while investors propelled gold to a nine-year high.
Chinese stocks set their longest winning streak in two years, and the yuan had strengthened past 7 per dollar overnight .SS , despite rising tension over Hong Kong and the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
It was the Shenzhen blue-chip index's eighth straight day of gains, adding another 1.5% to its 15% surge this month, and it helped Europe on an upward trajectory after initial hesitation caused by uninspiring German data. .EU improving risk sentiment was the dollar's downward momentum – it was at a one-month low against the euro EUR= , a three-week low versus the British pound GBP= and a four-month trough against the Swiss franc. /FRX
Wall Street was set for a steady start .N but the dollar's lethargy was a green light for emerging markets too.
MSCI's EM currency index was at a one-month high, with the equities equivalent .MSCIEF at its highest since late February. Trade and commodity-related currencies also reacted to China's surge. The New Zealand dollar was at its highest since January and the Aussie dollar at a one-month high.
"We've seen a more generalised view back to riskier assets. The Chinese equity surge has been the poster child for risk-on move across the last few sessions," said Jeremy Stretch, CIBC Capital Markets' head of G10 FX strategy.
Asia's investors have been riding high after a front-page editorial in Monday's China Securities Journal that extolled market fundamentals, which was taken as official encouragement to buy stocks.
State-run media warned on Thursday that investors should still pursue rational investments and manage risks, but that didn't rein in the bulls.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.8% and touched a 20-week high. The yuan CNY= rose to a four-month high as it broke through the 7-per-dollar barrier. FRX/
"Broadly speaking, the Chinese economy is coping better not only with a recovery but also in dealing with the potential of a second wave (of infections)," said National Australia Bank FX strategist Rodrigo Catril.
"Rightly or wrongly, that market is liking the idea that the yuan can strengthen on the back of equity inflows."
Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn)'s chief international strategist, Alan Ruskin, said the yuan enjoyed the "perfect combination" of tight monetary policy, yield advantage and equity demand.
Although China's factory-gate prices fell for a fifth straight month in June, signs of a pickup suggest a slow but steady recovery remains intact. Europe though, Britain suffered another 5,000 high street jobs losses and Germany's export figures recovered less than expected in May as demand remained subdued despite lockdowns being lifted in large parts of Europe. GOING FOR GOLD
The Chinese rally came despite growing pressure from the West over Beijing's tightening grip on Hong Kong, surging U.S. coronavirus cases and a fresh lockdown of almost 5 million Australians in Melbourne. benchmark ASX 200 index .AXJO rose 1% and Japan's Nikkei .N225 rose 0.6%. The Australian dollar AUD=D3 rose 0.2% to $0.6995, but - perhaps indicating a cap on exuberance - it was unable to break past resistance at $0.70.
U.S. Treasuries were not sold into the rally, though. Nor were the safe havens of gold or the Japanese yen. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasuries US10YT=RR remained under pressure at 0.6545% and gold XAU= sat at $1,810 an ounce.
The precious metal has now surged nearly 20% this year, making it the best-performing global asset barring the super-charged FAANG tech stocks which have soared nearly 50%.
The U.S. earnings season approaches, with investor hopes high for a stabilisation, but warning signals are flashing and Federal Reserve officials raised fresh doubts on Wednesday about the durability of the rebound. United States has also posted its largest number of daily new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began and global tensions are on the rise. jobs data out ahead of the start of trading showed just over 1.3 million unemployment claims. Next Tuesday will see results from J.P. Morgan JPM.N , Citigroup (NYSE:C) C.N and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) WFC.N , then Microsoft MSFT.O and Netflix NFLX.O on Thursday.
"Earnings season is upon us, and we really want to see what it looks like," said Jun Bei Liu, a portfolio manager at Australia's Tribeca Investment Partners.
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https://tmsnrt.rs/3iJBdxE World financial markets in 2020
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