* MSCI Asia-Pacific index up 1.5 pct, Nikkei gains 0.6 pct

* Spreadbetters expect European stocks to open a touch higher

* Asia stocks track continuing rally in global equities

* Safe-haven yen on defensive as Brexit shock continues to ebb

* Precious metals still gather bids amid long-term uncertainty

By Shinichi Saoshiro

TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) - Asia stocks rose on Thursday, tracking an overnight rally on Wall Street, while the safe-haven Japanese yen was held in check as global markets regained a semblance of calm after the Brexit shock.

Spreadbetters forecast a slightly higher open for Britain's FTSE, Germany's DAX and France's CAC.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1.5 percent, pulling further away from a one-month low on Friday when it plunged more than 3 percent in reaction to Britain's decision to leave the European Union. The index has dropped about 0.8 percent in the April-June quarter.

Japan's Nikkei climbed 0.6 percent.

Following the market's initial panic over Brexit, "it doesn't look like it is spreading to a financial crisis or something serious, at least at this moment," said Hikaru Sato, senior technical analyst at Daiwa Securities in Tokyo.

Overnight, the Dow rose 1.6 percent while Britain's FTSE rallied for the second day, letting the London benchmark retrace all of its losses right after the Brexit vote.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he expects the world economy will be steady in the short run after Britain's decision but expressed concern about longer-term global growth.

Still, expectations that major central banks will ease monetary policy in the wake of Brexit have buoyed risk assets globally.

Analysts also saw the recent plunge in sovereign debt yields as a factor driving investors to equities.

"While the full consequences of Brexit are still uncertain, the one thing it has accomplished very successfully is dropping global bond yields to new lows and keeping global monetary policy looser for longer," wrote Angus Nicholson, market analyst at IG in Melbourne.

"Negative yielding government debt has surged... in such a situation, the drive for yield has never been stronger, which has seen people piling into dip-buying with little thought for the fundamental picture."

German and Japanese benchmark 10-year government debt yields have both fallen to historic lows below zero over the past week. Irish, French and Dutch 10-year yields hit record lows on Wednesday, all approaching zero.

The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield, while still positive, has approached record lows as well.