GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks in dark on trade, seek enlightenment from Trump

* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Shares bounce, Japan's Nikkei end 0.8% higher
* Awaiting Trump speech in New York for news on trade
* Reports Trump to delay auto tariffs on EU for 6 months
* Sterling holds gains after Boris gets a Brexit boost

By Wayne Cole and Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Asian share markets edged higher
on Tuesday and Europe looked set to follow as investors awaited
a speech by President Donald Trump on U.S. trade policy and on
news he will likely delay a decision on whether to slap tariffs
on European autos.
EU officials said Trump was expected to announce this week
that he was delaying the tariff decision on cars and auto parts
imported from the European Union likely for another six months.
The news boosted expectations about Trump's speech later in
the day about his administration's long-running trade war with
China.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS climbed 0.5%, following a sharp 1.2% pullback on
Monday.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 , which dithered either side of flat
most of the day, ended 0.8% higher. But Shanghai blue chips
.CSI300 eased 0.2% after bank lending growth undershot
analysts' estimates, while Australian shares were down, too.

E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 rose 0.2%, while
EUROSTOXX 50 futures STXEc1 gained 0.4%.
A positive speech on U.S.-China trade would likely satisfy
market participants even without specific details of the "Phase
1" agreement under negotiation, said Jim Paulsen, chief
investment officer at The Leuthold Group in Minneapolis.
"It still feels like we're pretty close to having something
done," Paulsen said on Monday. "Even if it's meaningless, it
will be meaningful."
Trump wrongfooted markets over the weekend when he said
there had been incorrect reporting about U.S. willingness to
lift tariffs on China.
Investors also were anxious about the situation in Hong Kong
after a violent escalation of protests knocked nearly 2% off
Asia-exposed banks HSBC HSBA.L and StanChart STAN.L .
Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday said
protesters who are trying to "paralyse" the city were extremely
selfish and hoped all universities and schools would urge
students not to participate in violence.
Lam was speaking a day after police shot a protester and a
man was set on fire in some of the most dramatic scenes to grip
the city during the more than five months of civil unrest.
GETS BREXIT BOOST
A partial holiday in the United States had closed the
Treasury market on Monday and made for a quiet session on Wall
Street. The Dow .DJI ended up 0.04%, while the S&P 500 .SPX
lost 0.20% and the Nasdaq .IXIC 0.13%.
Treasuries were in demand when trading resumed in Asia, with
yields on 10-year notes US10YT=RR dropping to 1.9070% and away
from last week's three-month top of 1.97%. They were last at
1.9539.
In currency markets, the main action was in sterling which
hit a six-month high on the euro on Monday after the Brexit
Party said it would not contest previously Conservative held
seats in the UK election. In a boost for Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of the
Dec. 12 election, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he did
not want anti-Brexit parties to win, so was standing down
candidates in seats won by the Conservatives in 2017.
The pound reached 0.8582 per euro EURGBP= , and firmed to
$1.2856 GBP= having risen 0.6% overnight.
Against a basket of currencies, the dollar steadied at
98.224 .DXY . The euro edged up to $1.1038 EUR= and away from
a three-week low of $1.1015, while the dollar faded to 109.26
yen JPY= .
Spot gold suffered a third day of declines, to touch its
lowest since early August at $1,447.89 per ounce XAU= . It was
last trading at $1,450.44.
U.S. crude CLc1 gained 28 cents to $57.14 a barrel, while
Brent crude LCOc1 futures added 35 cents to $62.53.

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(Editing by Sam Holmes, Shri Navaratnam & Kim Coghill)