In This Article:
* MSCI Asia ex-Japan +0.16%; Nikkei -0.41%
* Caixin PMI shows stronger China factory activity
* Chinese officials doubt long-term trade deal with US - Bloomberg
* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
By Andrew Galbraith
SHANGHAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Asian shares reversed early losses on Friday as an unexpected bounce in Chinese manufacturing activity offset some negativity cast by a Bloomberg news report that raised doubts over whether the United States and China can reach a long-term trade deal.
Factory activity in China expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in October as export orders and production rose, a private business survey showed on Friday.
The expansion, which beat expectations and contrasted with the dour results of an official survey Thursday, helped to boost Chinese blue chips, which rose 0.7%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.3% and Seoul's Kospi rose 0.42%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan reversed early losses to add 0.16%, having hit three-month highs on Thursday.
The index's performance reflected a results season that has shown companies to be more resilient than expected, said Jim McCafferty, head of Equity Research, Asia ex-Japan at Nomura.
"If you look at the micro data supplied by the companies, then it tells you that customers ... are continuing to do business. So I think that we are in a better state than perhaps investors thought we were just one month ago," he said.
Earlier on Friday, losses had mirrored falls in global stock markets, as MSCI's gauge of equity performance in 47 countries fell from 20-month highs after a report that cast doubt on the likelihood of a U.S.-China trade deal.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.52%, the S&P 500 lost 0.30% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.14%.
Efforts by Washington and Beijing to end their bruising nearly 16-month trade war appeared on track as U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday said that the two sides would soon announce a new venue for the signing of a "Phase One" trade deal after Chile cancelled a planned summit set for mid-November.
Optimism was dampened by a Bloomberg report citing unnamed Chinese officials airing doubts over whether a comprehensive long-term trade deal is possible.
China's doubts were "not entirely unexpected", Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro, said in a morning note to clients, noting that the falls in equity markets were relatively small.
Retreats in the S&P 500 and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield indicated some technical resistance in the market, he said.