* MSCI world equity index down 0.5 percent at 291.53
* Euro falls broadly on Europe banking concerns
* Government bonds firmer; oil tumbles
By Natsuko Waki
LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - World stocks pulled back from a one-month high on Tuesday while the euro tumbled as renewed concerns about Europe's banking sector and growth encouraged investors to pause after a recent rally.
German manufacturing orders unexpectedly fell in July at their steepest rate in more than a year, weighed down by weaker demand from abroad and a below-average volume of big orders.
Investors were also spooked by a Wall Street Journal report that said it believed "stress tests" published more than a month ago underestimated some lenders' holdings of potentially risky government debt.
That helped rekindle concerns about the vulnerability of the sector after Germany's banking association said on Monday the country's 10 biggest banks may need 105 billion euros of additional capital.
"The (WSJ article) is obviously undermining banks and dragging everything down with it," David Morrison, market strategist at GFT Global said.
"Last week was an incredible start to September. There were strong moves up on the back of economic numbers out of the States in particular, but... I think there is a growing feeling that as that data is being dissected, it really did not justify the move up that we saw in equities in the big indices." The MSCI world equity index fell 0.5 percent, while the Thomson Reuters global stock index lost around half a percent.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index dropped half a percent, led by banking shares such as Societe Generale.
Emerging stocks also lost half a percent and U.S. futures fell 0.6 percent, pointing to a weaker start when Wall Street reopens after the Labor Day holiday.
The euro fell one percent to $1.2750 while it lost more than 1.3 percent to 106.95 yen.
WORRIES RESUFACING
Safe-haven assets were in demand. Bund futures rose 71 ticks while the U.S. 30-year Treasury bond gained a full point in price, driving its yield down 6.5 basis points to 3.729 percent.
Portugal's 10-year government bond yield spread over German benchmarks hit its widest since May, with yields rising 11 basis points to 5.8 percent.
"There is still some doubt about economic growth in the second half," said Koen De Leus, economist at KBC Securities.
"We have just had a relief rally and investors are waiting to see what direction the economy is going to take in the second half."
Elsewhere, the dollar rose 0.6 percent against a basket of major currencies. U.S. crude oil fell 2.3 percent to $72.87 a barrel, in part weighed by a strong dollar.
The Bank of Japan held off on loosening monetary policy further on Tuesday but said it would take timely action when necessary, setting the stage for possible easing next month when there is clearer evidence of the strong yen's impact on the slowing economy.
However, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa's comment that monetary authorities cannot control foreign exchange rates encouraged some buying in the yen, which rose 0.4 percent 83.85 per dollar to. (Additional reporting by Tricia Wright; editing by Patrick Graham)