GLOBAL MARKETS-G20 nerves hit Europe stocks; dollar slips to three-month low

In This Article:

* Europe stocks slip, U.S. futures point to stronger open

* German business sentiment lowest since 2014

* Investors doubtful over meaningful U.S.-China deal at summit

* U.S.-Iran tensions puts floor under oil prices

* Dollar index slips to three-month low

* Gold flirts with Fridays' six-year high

By Karin Strohecker

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - European stocks stumbled and the dollar hit three-month lows on Monday as hopes waned for progress in Sino-U.S. trade talks at this week's G20 meeting and fears of an escalation in Iran tensions flared up.

Investors are waiting to see if Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping can de-escalate a trade war that is damaging the global economy and souring business confidence. The leaders will meet during a G20 summit in Japan.

Pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.2%, reflecting similar losses in Paris. Stocks in London were little changed.

Germany's export-sensitive DAX index fell 0.6% after a profit warning from Daimler sent the Mercedes-Benz maker's shares some 4.2% lower. In addition, data showed that German business morale in June fell to its lowest since November 2014, adding weight to expectations that Europe's largest economy shrank in the second quarter.

Nonetheless, gains in Asia saw the MSCI regional as well as the broader global stocks gauges rise again towards last week's six-week highs hit last week. Wall Street also looked in line for more gains after closing lower on Friday. S&P 500 e-minis pointed to a 0.2% rise at the open.

"G20 is turning into a high-stakes poker game for risk and if the sideline talks between Trump and Xi fail and trigger an escalation in tariffs, the odds of a full-blown global recession increase exponentially," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at Vanguard Markets.

On Monday, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said China and the U.S. should be willing to compromise in trade talks and not insist only on what each side wants.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's decision on Friday to call off a planned China speech was also considered a positive sign. Pence had upset China with a fierce speech in October that laid out a litany of complaints ranging from state surveillance to human-rights abuses.

Still, most analysts doubt the two sides will come to any meaningful agreement. Tensions are reaching beyond tariffs, particularly after Washington blacklisted Huawei, the world's biggest telecoms gear maker, effectively banning U.S. companies from doing business with it.

"Any high hopes ahead of the G20 meeting may be disappointed," said Benjamin Schroeder, senior rates strategist at ING in Amsterdam. "In the end uncertainty will persist and central banks could still be pushed closer to invoking their contingency plans."