* Dollar claws off 17-month low vs yen ahead of Fed minutes
* Oil jumps 2.5 percent, lifts stocks, bond yields
* Russia says talks going on about how long to freeze oil output
* Rand pushed lower as S&P cuts South Africa forecasts
By Marc Jones
London, April 6 (Reuters) - The dollar edged up from a 17-month low against the yen on Wednesday, and buffeted European share prices benefited from a rebound in oil to move off their lowest level in over a month.
With Asian trading subdued, the mood persisted in Europe as share prices struggled to build on some early momentum provided by oil's biggest rise in three weeks and takeover talk in the pharmaceuticals sector.
Wall Street was expected to claw back some of the 1 percent the S&P 500 lost on Tuesday.
Attention was firmly on the release later on Wednesday of the minutes from last month's U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting and any new clues on how many interest rate hikes might be expected this year, following some mixed signals from some of the Fed's officials.
Though the dollar nudged off its lows against the yen, it was still limping after comments from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that countries should avoid trying to weaken currencies with "arbitrary intervention".
The yen remained in bullish form, down less than 0.1 percent against the dollar at 110.34 yen and within striking distance of 109.92, its lowest level since October 2014.
"I think the market is trying to find an equilibrium here," said National Australia Bank FX strategist Gavin Friend.
"The dovishness of Janet Yellen (Federal Reserve chair) has pushed rate hike pricing right out, so every time you get stronger data or stronger comments from the Fed you have this push-me, pull-me situation that buffets markets."
The dollar was making better headway against other currencies. It pushed both the euro and the pound down 0.3 percent to $1.1350 and 1.4092 respectively and was up 0.3 percent on a broader basket of currencies.
German data showing a fall in German industrial output did not help the euro either, though the fall in the figures was smaller than economists had been expecting, a relief after February orders data had disappointed the day before.
In bond markets, the bounce in oil and modest lift in risk appetite halted the push of German Bund yields towards zero.
"Bund strength looks set to run into resistance with 10-year yields approaching last year's memorable tipping point," Commerzbank rate strategist Rainer Guntermann said.
CRUDE MOVES
The 10-year U.S. Treasuries yield was also edging higher ahead of the Fed minutes, having hit a five-week low of 1.715 percent the previous day.