GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares on backfoot as focus shifts to U.S. stimulus, China tensions

* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* MSCI ex-Japan off recent 6-1/2 month high
* Japan, Singapore on public holidays
* U.S. fiscal stimulus talks in focus

By Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Asian shares started cautiously
on Monday as investors kept one eye on flaring tensions between
the United States and China and another eye on U.S. fiscal
stimulus after talks between the White House and Democrat
lawmakers broke down.
Trading was expected to be light with Japanese and
Singaporean markets closed for public holidays.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS stayed below a 6-1/2 month peak touched last
week to be last at 560.17.
Australian shares .AXJO recouped Friday's losses to be up
0.7% while South Korea's main index .KSII added 0.4%.
Global equities have rallied hard since hitting a bottom in
March on central bank bazooka and government largess around the
world, although rising coronavirus cases and deaths in many
countries have tempered investor enthusiasm recently.
Also weighing on sentiment is uncertainty over U.S. fiscal
stimulus after President Donald Trump signed a series of
executive orders to extend unemployment benefits after talks
with Congress broke down. The orders would provide an extra $400 per week in
unemployment payments, less than the $600 per week passed
earlier in the crisis.
While analysts see the move as a cut to spending that leaves
homeowners and renters vulnerable to eviction, they are still
optimistic about the prospects for more stimulus.
"I view this as another step in negotiations rather than a
cessation of negotiations, with a still unknown timeline,"
JPMorgan analyst Andrew Tyler wrote in a note.
"If we see the White House take the view that they no longer
want to negotiate until after the election, then think we'll see
a wave of GDP downgrades followed by lower realized spending and
spikes to unemployment in September through year-end."
Investors were also circumspect after U.S. President Donald
Trump signed two executive orders banning WeChat, owned by
Chinese tech giant Tencent 0700.HK , and TikTok in 45 days'
time while announcing sanctions on 11 Chinese and Hong Kong
officials.
Rounding out the actions, U.S. regulators recommended that
overseas firms listed on American exchanges be subject to U.S.
public audit reviews from 2022.
"The bigger question for markets is whether these actions
jeopardise the U.S.-China trade talks on August 15 and markets
will be looking closely for any Chinese retaliation," said Tapas
Strickland, director of markets & economics at National
Australia Bank.
"The running assumption in markets has been President Trump
needed the phase one deal to succeed, as much as China, this
side of the November elections... At the same time President
Trump is running a hard China line into the elections,"
Strickland added.
In currencies, the dollar JPY= eased on the safe haven
Japanese yen to 105.85 while the risk sensitive Aussie dollar
AUD=D3 nursed its losses after falling 1.1% on Friday. .DXY
The British pound GBP= was a tad lower at $1.3057 after
hitting a five-month high of $1.3185 last week. The euro paused
at $1.1789 to hover near its highest since May 2018.
That left the dollar index =USD at 93.367, having
struggled on a slippery slope since late June.
On the data front, China releases inflation figures later in
the day and monthly activity indicators on Friday.
In commodities, gold XAU= held on to gains at $2,030 an
ounce after hitting an all-time high of $2,072.5 last week.
Oil prices were higher with Brent crude LCOc1 rising 36
cents to $44.76 a barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 added 43 cents to
$41.65.

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(Editing by Sam Holmes)