* MSCI world equity index up 0.5 pct at 291.22
* Low-yielding dollar hits one-year low
* Oil firms, government bonds fall
By Natsuko Waki
LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Global shares rallied on Thursday, pushing the benchmark world index to a fresh 11-month high, while the low-yielding dollar fell broadly as economic optimism prompted investors to re-open risk trades.
An upgrade in Japan's view on the economy, upbeat Chinese data and bullish comments from a senior Beijing government economist, plus Wednesday's firm U.S. industrial output data all helped to prompt investors to pile on risky assets and dump safer and low-yielding instruments.
The latest leg of the risk rally started earlier this month when Group of 20 finance chiefs pledged to keep emergency economic stimulus packages in place.
"Policymakers have made it plain that they are going to do everything they can to sort out this problem," said Neil Dwane, European chief investment officer at Allianz Global Investors' RCM.
"Investors are now realising that interest rates are going to remain low, bond rates are going to remain low and therefore you might as well take risk and at the moment there is only one place for you to take risk -- it's equities." MSCI world equity index <.MIWD00000PUS> rose 0.5 percent to levels not seen since October 2008, bringing its gain this year to almost 28 percent.
U.S. stock futures
The Bank of Japan upgraded its view on the economy, bringing it a step closer to phasing out some of its measures to support corporate funding.
U.S. industrial production rose for a second month in August, data showed on Wednesday, reinforcing views the nation's recession had ended.
Chen Dongqi, China's senior government economist, said the country's economy may regain double-digit annual growth in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially bringing policy tightening closer.
Economic data for industrial output, investment and credit all surprised on the upside in August.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> rose 0.5 percent on Thursday while emerging stocks <.MSCIEF> hit a fresh one-year high.
U.S. crude oil
The September bund futures
The dollar <.DXY> hit a one-year low against a basket of
major currencies. The euro reached a one-year high of $1.4766
"With risk appetite so strong, the dollar remains under broad-based pressure and we cannot see anything on the horizon to alter that today," said Chris Turner, head of FX strategy at ING. (Additional reporting by Dominic Lau and Tamawa Desai; editing by Chris Pizzey)