* MSCI AxJ up 0.3% to highest since January
* MYR, KRW at strongest since March
* Bank of England, RBI, U.S. fiscal deal eyed
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Tom Westbrook and Chris Prentice
SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The dollar languished and just about everything else rose on Thursday, as markets took patchy U.S. economic data as a harbinger of ever more stimulus and brinkmanship on Capitol Hill as a sign that a deal on a new U.S. stimulus package is close.
Following Wall Street's lead, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS extended the week's rally by 0.3% to a fresh six-and-a-half-month high.
Japan's Nikkei index .N225 was steady and Asian currencies were on the march, with the Australian dollar AUD=D3 gaining to around 72 U.S. cents, and the Korean won KRW= and Malaysian ringgit MYR= touching their strongest since March.
S&P 500 futures ESc1 firmed, oil rose and gold XAU= inched back toward a record high hit overnight.
"If it's got a pulse, people will buy it now," said Rob Carnell, Asia-Pacific head of research at ING in Singapore.
He said it was clear the global recovery is not a "V-shaped" rebound, but markets are focused almost completely on the help that fiscal and monetary policymakers are providing, even if the next U.S. government package is likely to reduce spending from current levels.
"Short of apocalyptic news, we are going to see these markets carrying on going up because central banks are printing and printing (money) and it simply has to go somewhere," Carnell said.
Top congressional Democrats and White House officials appeared to harden their stances on the new coronavirus relief plan on Wednesday, with few hints of compromise or that an unemployment benefit as generous as $600 a week could continue.
But investors interpreted Senate Republican Roy Blunt's remark that "if there's not a deal by Friday, there won't be a deal," as a sign there would be a compromise. Reserve policymakers also encouraged lawmakers to provide more aid. in any case, plenty is on the way - with a modest selloff in the bond market after the U.S. Treasury flagged borrowing a gigantic $947 billion this quarter, about $270 billion more than it previously estimated. yield on benchmark 10-year U.S. government debt US10YT=RR rose 3 basis points and was steady at 0.5445% on Thursday. US/
EARNINGS SURPRISE
Positive sentiment on Wall Street was further bolstered by company earnings, with a surprise quarterly profit from Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Co DIS.N and a slew of upbeat healthcare results.
The Nasdaq .IXIC minted a new record peak and closing high while the S&P 500 .SPX was up 0.6% and is less than 2% below its record high hit in February.
In Asia, it was Singaporean bank DBS DBSM.SI bringing some cheer, with a shallower-than-feared plunge in second-quarter profit, helping shares in Southeast Asia's biggest lender gain. are watching a crucial Indian central bank meeting later on Thursday, with around two thirds of economists polled by Reuters expecting an easing in interest rates. jobs data due at 1230 GMT provides the next read on the pace of hiring, while sterling also traded cautiously ahead of a Bank of England policy decision due at 0600 GMT.
No changes are expected but some traders are looking for a dovish tilt in language. is still a bit of uncertainty around whether the Bank will eventually move the policy rate into negative territory," said Rodrigo Catril, a senior FX strategist at National Australia Bank.
"Pricing expectations are at 0.05% (compared with a current rate at 0.1%), so some in the market are betting on a move."
Sterling GBP= last sat 0.1% firmer at $1.3127 and other majors were steady - with the euro EUR=EBS at $1.1871 and the yen JPY= at 105.55 per dollar. FRX/
In commodity markets, Brent crude LCOc1 inched back toward a five-month high touched overnight, rising 0.1% to $45.23 per barrel and U.S. crude CLc1 was steady at $42.15 per barrel. O/R
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