*

Asian stocks mostly rise on dovish Fed comments, China

sells off

*

Bond market sell-off slows, concerns over fiscal health

persist

*

Weak job openings data, Fed's dovish comments reinforce

rate cut

bets

(Adds JGB auction, India stocks, new quote)

By Gregor Stuart Hunter

SINGAPORE, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Asian stocks were mostly

higher on Thursday as dovish comments from Federal Reserve

officials and a smooth auction of Japanese super-long debt eased

investor jitters in bond markets.

Shares rose in Australia, India and Japan, but Chinese

shares fell the most since April on reports of regulatory

intervention to tame runaway speculation.

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

, gave up early gains and was down 0.2%, dragged

lower by losses in China.

The CSI 300 fell as much as 2.6% and was on track

for a third day of declines after Bloomberg News said financial

regulators were preparing cooling measures for the market.

U.S. stock futures rose 0.1% as investors took heart

Fed officials' comments and the 30-year Japanese government bond

auction went off smoothly, drawing buyers into beaten-down

equities.

Australian shares advanced 1%, recovering from their

biggest one-day sell-off since April, while the Nikkei 225

rose 1.6%.

"We got one or two days of weakness but the dip-buyers have

stepped in," said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG in Sydney.

"Many people are looking for this weakness in September to

be a buying opportunity," with economic growth still resilient,

he added. "This is a good backdrop for equities."

India's benchmark Sensex was up 1.1% as markets

opened, after the government slashed levies on several goods to

fire up consumption and counteract U.S. tariffs.

Financial markets started September in a downbeat mood, with

a sell-off in longer-dated bonds dousing investor confidence

ahead of critical U.S. non-farm payrolls on Friday.

Overnight, the selloff in bond markets slowed, but concerns

about the fiscal health of major economies from Japan and the

United States to Britain kept long-dated borrowing costs pinned

near multi-year highs.

Investors got a timely boost to sentiment after Federal

Reserve officials, including Governor Christopher Waller,

expressed support for rate cuts in coming months.

President Donald Trump's pick for an open seat on the

Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Miran, said he would work to

preserve the central bank's independence, ahead of Thursday's

confirmation hearing before the Senate banking committee.

Market bets for a rate cut at the Fed's meeting later this

month were also supported by weaker-than-expected job openings

data in the latest "JOLTS" report on Wednesday.

"Investors have compelling reasons to maintain a risk-on

stance," said Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of research at Maybank

in Singapore.

"U.S. job openings hit a 10-month low, and this is

amplifying pressure on the Fed to cut rates this month - an

optimistic signal the markets have been waiting for."

The Federal Reserve's "Beige Book" painted a mixed picture

of U.S. economic health, which appeared to underscore monetary

policymakers' concerns. Analysts at ING called it quite "bleak",

adding that it was "littered with" tariff warnings on prices.

Traders are now pricing in a 99.7% probability of a cut to

interest rates at the Fed's September meeting, the CME Group's

FedWatch tool showed.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes

rose to 4.2226% over its U.S. close of 4.211% on Wednesday. The

two-year yield, which rises with traders'

expectations of higher Fed funds rates, touched 3.6187% compared

with a U.S. close of 3.612%.

The dollar edged up 0.1% against the yen at 148.25,

keeping within the trading range where it has stayed since the

beginning of August.

The European single currency was down 0.1% at

$1.1650, while the dollar index which tracks the currency

against a basket of currencies of other major trading partners,

was up 0.1% at 98.239.

In commodities markets, Brent crude dipped 0.6% to

$67.17 a barrel.

Precious metal prices nudged lower, with spot gold

off 0.8% at $3529.94 per ounce after hitting a record on

Wednesday.