* Graphic: World FX rates in 2019
* Pound near 2-month high before Brexit vote
* Euro kicked lower by soft German economic data
* Oil nudges higher on supply cut talk
* Bond yields slip lower after weak data, friendly Fed
* JP Morgan earnings miss scuffs Wall Street futuresBy Marc JonesLONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Spluttering noises from Germanyand an earnings miss from banking giant JP Morgan dragged backstocks on Tuesday, while Britain's pound hovered near atwo-month high ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote on Brexit.Most European markets started in good spirits after attemptsby Washington and Beijing to play down the risks associated withtheir trade war and sterling's bizarrely positive twist on thelooming Brexit drama. But things began to wobble when German reported its weakestgrowth in five years and then Wall Street futures flinchedas JP Morgan blamed bond market volatility forlower-than-expected fourth quarter 2018 profits. There were still remnants of positive sentiment. Shanghaiand Hong Kong stocks had gained almost 2 percent overnight afterU.S. President Trump talked up the chances of a China trade dealand Chinese officials then came out in force hinting at morestimulus for their slowing economy.Tokyo had risen 1 percent on return from holiday too andSeoul ended up smartly as well. "It seems like a coordinated effort (between the U.S. andChina)," said Saxo Bank's head of global equities strategy,Peter Garnry, highlighting how the Federal Reserve had alsoscaled back talk of multiple U.S. rate hikes.
"For now at least it seems to be working," he added, giventhat China's plans to cut some taxes showed its policymakerswere starting to wake up to its problems.All other focus was largely on Britain's Brexit gyrations.The pound barely budged at $1.2860 and was up 0.2percent at 88.88 pence per euro in London, havingstrengthened steadily in recent weeks. But the surface calm wasdeceptive. Worries of Britain plunging out of the EU at the end ofMarch without some kind of transition deal appear to have easedbut with May potentially facing the biggest defeat for a UKgovernment plan in 95 years, uncertainty still dominates.May's hopes of keeping her plan alive will hinge on thescale of her expected loss. Avoiding a heavy defeat could giveher the chance to ask Brussels for more concessions beforetrying to get the plan through parliament in another vote.But a humiliating outcome could pressure her to delayBritain's scheduled March 29 EU departure date and potentiallyopen up other options, ranging from a second referendum, thedangerous no deal path or even a general election. "We are recommending our clients not to take strongpositions on the pound or the equity markets," Garnry added. Thevote was due around 1900 GMT.Euro zone government bond yields tested six-month lows afterthe weak German economic data that had also hurt the euro. Theoverall impact of Brexit on German economic growth is also"impossible to quantify", an official of the statistics officesaid in Berlin. CHINA STIMULUS
Overnight, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific sharesoutside Japan recovered from early losses andadvanced 1.3 percent. South Korea's Kospi hit aone-month high and Japan's Nikkei added 1 percent. China's CSI300 index of Shanghai and Shenzhen shares ended up almost 2 percent too amid the expectations ofmore government policy measures to prop up a slowing economy.China's state planner said it would aim to achieve "a goodstart" in the first quarter for the economy in a signal of moregrowth-boosting steps. State television also quoted Chinese Premier Li Keqiang as
saying the government is seeking to establish conditions helpfulto meeting this year's economic goals. That came after data on Monday showed China's exportsunexpectedly fell the most in two years in December, whileimports also contracted sharply. Cyclical shares had led the broader gains. Australianfinancial shares also hit their highest since earlyDecember while Japanese electronics andmachinery-maker shares rose to their best levels insix weeks.Local currency emerging market government debt, which waspounded last year when investors dumped riskier assets on thetrade war worries, rallied to a near one-year high. "It appears some contrarian investors are starting to buycyclicals, looking beyond the last economic slowdown," saidNobuhiko Kuramochi, chief strategist at Mizuho Securities."But I would suspect there will be heavy selling if we go upfurther, to around 2,650 in the S&P500 and 21,500 in theNikkei," Kuramochi added.Back in the currency markets the weaker euro meant thedollar was up for a third day in the last four against a basketof top world currencies. In commodities, meanwhile, oil prices rebounded on supplycuts by producer club OPEC and Russia. International Brentcrude oil futures were last at $59.95 per barrel, up 1.6percent from their last close. U.S. crude futures stoodat just over $51 per barrel, up 1.3 percent.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Reversals ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Hideyuki Sano in TokyoEditing by Mark Heinrich)