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• Brent steadies above $116 on economy hopes, Middle East worries

  SINGAPORE, Feb 4- Brent crude steadied above $116 per barrel on Monday, holding near a more than four-month high, as data from top consumers United States and China reinforced a view that the global economy was headed for a modest uptick this year.

• Nikkei hovers around 33-month high on soft yen, Panasonic soars

  *Sony jumps, still undervalued- analyst. TOKYO, Feb 4- Japan's Nikkei share average climbed to a fresh 33- month peak on Monday morning as a softer yen led exporters higher, and hints of a recovery for troubled consumer electronics companies saw Panasonic Corp storm up 16.9 percent in heavy trade.

• Ten-year JGB yields climb to 3-week high after U.S. data

  TOKYO, Feb 4- Japanese government bonds slipped on Monday, with the 10- year yield hitting a three-week high, after U.S. jobs and manufacturing data showed a recovery in the world's largest economy remained on track. * "That's the biggest driver on the JGB yields today," said Yuya Yamashita, rates strategist at J.P. Morgan in Tokyo.

• FOREX-Yen creeps up from 2 1-2/year low but seen vulnerable

  TOKYO/ SYDNEY, Feb 4- The listless yen bounced back a tad from a 2 1/ 2- year low against the dollar on Monday as option-related buying prompted short-term players to give up a further test of the yen downside for now.

• TREASURIES-U.S. 10-yr yield hits 9-mth high after upbeat data

  SINGAPORE, Feb 4- The U.S. 10- year Treasury yield hit a nine-month high on Monday after jobs and manufacturing data on Friday showed the U.S. economy's recovery remained on track and helped lift equities to five-year highs.

• Nikkei hovers at 33-month highs on U.S. recovery signs, weak yen

  TOKYO, Feb 4- Japan's Nikkei share average climbed to a fresh 33- month high in early Monday trade, with consumer electronics in the spotlight on the back of a recovery in the third quarter, and a softer yen keeping exporters ahead of the market.

• PRECIOUS-Gold slips as upbeat U.S. data trims safe-haven draw

  SINGAPORE, Feb 4- Gold ticked lower for a second session in three on Monday as a string of data pointing to a U.S. economy on the mend gave investors less reason to buy assets deemed as safe-haven. *Spot gold slipped $1.43 to $1,665.11 an ounce by 0056 GMT.

• Hong Kong shares to open up 0.6 pct, Ping An Insurance jumps

  HONG KONG, Feb 4- Hong Kong shares are set to start the week stronger on Monday, helped by a 2.5 percent jump in Ping An Insurance after China approved the sale of HSBC's remaining stake in the mainland's second-largest insurer. The Hang Seng Index was set to open up 0.6 percent at 23,866.8.

• JGB market sentiment worsens sharply - Thomson Reuters survey

  TOKYO, Feb 4- A weekly gauge of sentiment in the Japanese government bond market deteriorated sharply, remaining in negative territory for a fifth straight week as rising global appetite for risk sapped demand for bonds, the latest Reuters poll showed on Monday.

• Hong Kong shares may start the week higher

  HONG KONG, Feb 4- Hong Kong shares could start the week higher on Monday, tracking Wall Street gains last Friday after positive U.S. jobs data that solidified expectation of growth.

• NYMEX-U.S. crude steady after longest winning streak since 2004

  SINGAPORE, Feb 4- U.S. crude futures steadied above $97 per barrel in early Asian trade on Monday after data from China and the United States last week reinforced expectations that economic growth in the world's two biggest energy consumers may be better this year than last.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares edge higher after US jobs, ISM

  TOKYO, Feb 4- Asian shares edged higher on Monday, buoyed by U.S. data which maintained expectations for a mild recovery and continued loose Federal Reserve monetary policy to support it, bolstered by solid manufacturing data from Europe and China.

• This Week, Watch What Central Bankers Say, Not Do

  

  Central banking is in a state of flux as policymakers from Tokyo to Washington ditch prevailing orthodoxies to try to grab a bigger share of a slow-growing global economic pie.

• Nikkei seen strong on further signs of U.S. recovery, weak yen

  TOKYO, Feb 4- Japan's Nikkei share average was expected to climb on Monday after robust data pointed to a U.S. economic recovery on track, lifting U.S. stocks to five-year highs and helping the dollar extend gains against the yen.

• FOREX-Yen stays on backfoot, central banks eyed this week

  *Yen wallows at multi-year lows vs USD& EUR. *Euro still favoured among G3, but ECB event-risk looms. SYDNEY, Feb 4- The yen started the new week with a nagging problem, it remained the currency of choice to sell with the Bank of Japan seen under the most pressure among major central banks to ease policy aggressively.

• China's Rancid Haze Puts Spotlight on Oil Giants

  

  The search for culprits behind the rancid haze enveloping China's capital has turned a spotlight on the country's two largest oil companies and their resistance to tougher fuel standards.

• Berlusconi Offers Big Tax Cuts in 'Last Great Battle'

  

  Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced his "last great electoral and political battle" on Sunday.

• BlackBerry Searching High and Low in India, Indonesia

  

  The company must chart a tough course: quickly launch cheaper handsets to woo lower-end subscribers while restoring its tattered brand among the countries' status-conscious.

• Sri Lanka bars human rights panel from visiting country

  COLOMBO, Feb 3- Sri Lanka said on Sunday it would not allow into the country an international human rights panel due to visit after the government's controversial sacking of the chief justice.

• BlackBerry searching high and low in India, Indonesia

  NEW DELHI/ JAKARTA, Feb 4- Research in Motion Ltd must chart a tough course in its two key emerging markets of India and Indonesia: quickly launch cheaper handsets to woo lower-end subscribers while restoring its tattered brand among the countries' status-conscious.