* U.S. stocks gain; MSCI all-country world index hits record
* Bitcoin rises to record
* Hopes of $1.9 trln U.S. stimulus boost sentiment (New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments to European shares close, adds details, comment on Tesla, bitcoin)
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) - A gauge of global stock markets hit another all-time high on Monday as optimism grew that U.S. lawmakers will soon pass a COVID-19 aid package, and bitcoin surged to a record high after Tesla revealed it had purchased $1.5 billion of the cryptocurrency and would soon accept it as a form of payment.
Tesla Inc TSLA.O shares were up 1.5%, while cryptocurrency miner Riot Blockchain RIOT.O jumped 30% and Marathon Patent Group MARA.O climbed 33%.
Tesla Inc's TSLA.O move is seen as key for bitcoin, the world's most widely-held crytocurrency, since Tesla is the fifth most-valuable U.S. company, and its CEO, Elon Musk, is among the world's richest people. getting involved in Bitcoin, to those investing in Bitcoin will be used as a way to tell others that this is a real asset, you can actually do something with it, they will support it as an argument of being the way of the future," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth Management.
Investors sold U.S. Treasuries on expectations the U.S. fiscal stimulus would boost inflation more quickly than expected, which pushed benchmark yields to 11-month highs. U.S. stock indexes hit record highs in early New York trading, extending a recent streak of gains.
Feeding the optimism were comments on Sunday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said that if Congress approves the $1.9 trillion plan, the country would get back to full employment next year.
Congress on Friday approved a budget plan that would allow a coronavirus relief bill to muscle through in the coming weeks without Republican support.
"We now have a situation where the Democrats do not need Republican approval in order to move ahead with the full $1.9 trillion stimulus package," said Thomas Hayes, managing member at Great Hill Capital LLC in New York.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 135.76 points, or 0.44%, to 31,284, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 13.6 points, or 0.35%, to 3,900.43 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 72.41 points, or 0.52%, to 13,928.71.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 0.30%, while MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS gained 0.52%. The MSCI index hit its ninth record high of 2021 overnight.
Oil prices rose to their highest in just over a year. Brent oil LCOc1 was up 68 cents, or 1.2%, at $60.02, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 rose 68 cents, or 1.2%, to $57.53. dollar was flat to slightly lower in choppy trading, holding its ground against a basket of major currencies as investors continued to price in a faster U.S. recovery than in most countries. dollar index =USD fell 0.025%, with the euro EUR= up 0.02% to $1.2045.
Benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR hit 1.200%, the highest since March, before falling back. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR last rose 4/32 in price to yield 1.1584%, from 1.17% late on Friday.
Spot gold XAU= added 1.1% to $1,831.75 an ounce.
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https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 Asia-Pacific valuations
https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA World stocks and oil vs COVID
https://tmsnrt.rs/2LAzJdC Global asset performance
http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn World FX rates in 2021
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
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