MSCI World Index flat; Asia exJapan index up 0.6
Oil slips back on weak China, Japan data
UK inflation hits 30year peak; NZ hikes rates

LONDON, April 13 Reuters Global shares were little changed on Wednesday, pausing after a sixday slump amid a mixed inflation picture, while floundering peace talks between Russia and Ukraine kept oil hovering near recent highs.

Hawkish moves from the world39;s top central banks as the Russian invasion of Ukraine pumped up inflation pressures have weighed on equity markets since the start of the year, with the MSCI World Index down around 10.

Data on Wednesday showed no letup for Britain after inflation hit a 30year high of 7, although this came a day after a lowerthanexpected print in the United States which had given some traders cause to hope policy may be tightened more slowly.

At 0711 GMT, the MSCI World Index was flat at 689.80 points, weighed by falls across most leading European indexes. Britain39;s FTSE 100 was down 0.1.

The steepest rises in a generation have unsettled financial markets, as investors digest the unsavoury prospect of tougher hikes in interest rates, said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

Overnight in Asia, much weakerthanexpected import data from China weighed on the outlook, but added to views Beijing could ease policy further, helping MSCI39;s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan climb 0.6.

Japan also posted weak machinery orders data,…