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50-bp Fed cut back on table after FT, WSJ reports

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Odds on super-sized reduction ramp up to 41% from 28%

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Dollar slides back towards 2024 low versus yen

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Crude continues climb as Francine impact assessed

(Updates prices as of 0155 GMT)

By Kevin Buckland

TOKYO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The dollar on Friday slumped

against the yen while gold hit an all-time peak as investors

ratcheted up bets for a super-sized Federal Reserve interest

rate cut next week after media reports suggested the decision

was a tough one for officials.

Shares in Asia also advanced after traders raised bets back

to 41% for a 50-basis point U.S. rate cut on Sept. 18, according

to LSEG data at 0155 GMT, from about 28% before articles in the

Financial Times and Wall Street Journal each called the decision

"a close call".

"This is yet another twist in the (Fed rate cut) debate,"

said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG, noting the tug-of-war

being played out in bond futures and the dollar-yen rate in

particular.

"Everybody thought we were back on track for 25 basis

points, and now 50 is suddenly back on the table."

The dollar dropped 0.41% to 141.225 yen, heading

back towards Wednesday's low at 140.71, the weakest level this

year.

The yen has also been supported this week by hawkish

comments from Bank of Japan officals, with policy board member

Naoki Tamura on Thursday saying he was "worried that upside

inflation risk was heightening."

The dollar index, which measures the currency against

the yen and five other major rivals, dropped to a one-week

trough at 101.03.

The euro added 0.09% to $1.1084, building on

Thursday's 0.57% advance after European Central Bank President

Christine Lagarde pushed back on prospects of a rate cut in

October, following a widely expected quarter-point reduction on

Thursday.

Gold extended Thursday's 1.9% climb to reach a fresh

record high of $2,567.93, buoyed by the dollar's weakness.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

rallied 0.53%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng led advances in regional

markets, gaining 1.13%. Mainland Chinese blue chips

added 0.24%. Australia's benchmark climbed 0.31%. South

Korea's Kospi was flat.

Japanese stocks underperformed, though, dragged lower by the

stronger yen, with the Nikkei losing 0.48%.

Japan, mainland China and South Korea are all heading into

long weekends, with Tokyo back on Tuesday, China on Wednesday

and South Korea not until Thursday.

U.S. stock futures were flat following gains on

Thursday for the cash indexes.

Crude oil continued to climb after surging around 2%

overnight, as producers assessed the impact on output after

Hurricane Francine tore through the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 0.54%

to $69.34 per barrel, building on Thursday's 2.5% rally. Brent

crude futures added 0.47% to $72.31, after a 1.9% jump

in the previous session.