* Investors await Jackson Hole central bankers' meeting
* European stock markets poised for lower start
* Japan's Nikkei rises, with tailwind from weaker yen
* Crude futures pull back on doubts of success on freeze talks
By Lisa Twaronite and Nichola Saminather
TOKYO/SINGAPORE, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Asian shares slipped on Monday, while the dollar lifted off last week's lows on expectations a signal might emerge from a Federal Reserve gathering this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that the U.S. central bank is gearing up to hike interest rates.
Global central bankers will join the annual mountain retreat that opens on Thursday, with Fed Chair Janet Yellen due to speak on Friday.
European markets also looked set for a lower open on Monday, with financial spreadbetter CMC Markets expecting Britain's FTSE 100 to be off 0.2 percent, and Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 to start the day down 0.1 percent.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.7 percent, after losing 0.3 percent last week. Wall Street logged modest losses on Friday, ending nearly flat for the week.
"The market could move either way, but most people want some kind of signal at this point," said Masashi Oda, general manager of the strategic investment department at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, added 0.4 percent to 94.879, pulling away from last week's trough of 94.077, which was its lowest mark since June 24.
The dollar was up 0.6 percent against its Japanese counterpart at 100.79 yen, while the euro was down 0.3 percent at $1.12830, slipping from last week's eight-week high of $1.1366.
The weaker yen proved a boon for Japan's Nikkei which closed up 0.3 percent. It skidded 2.2 percent last week, as the dollar dipped below 100 yen.
China's CSI 300 index retreated 0.6 percent and the Shanghai Composite lost 0.5 percent as investors took profits. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.4 percent.
On Sunday, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer gave a generally upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy's current strength, saying the job market was close to full strength and still improving.
"Fischer's comments have raised some expectations in the market, particularly after (New York Fed President William)Dudley's recent comments," said Ayako Sera, market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.
Last week, Dudley said a rate hike would be possible in September. Fischer's remarks fuelled that sense of anticipation, though interest rate futures contracts indicate that the market is pricing in about 50/50 odds of an increase in December.