ANALYSTS VIEW - Reaction to G8 finmins meeting

LECCE, Italy (Reuters) - Following are comments from economists, market strategists and other analysts on the outcome of this weekend's meeting of Group of Eight finance ministers in southern Italy.

Ministers said in a joint communique on Saturday that they had started to consider how to unwind the drastic steps taken to fight the credit crisis once an economic recovery becomes certain and had asked the IMF to analyse how to do so.

The United States and others, however, warned there must be firmer signs of recovery before any of the massive public stimulus for the economy is withdrawn. Policymakers also commented on issues including the dangers of high oil prices and whether to publish results of stress tests on European banks.

SIMON DERRICK, HEAD OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON IN LONDON

"There was an implicit split between the US and UK on one hand and Europe on the other over the pace of unwinding. The US and the UK were saying its too early to talk about when.

Derrick said this difference of opinion that had been emerging for a few weeks. "The fact it's still there is a measure of the deep divisions of opinion... and that also could be a concern for investors."

"The size of the U.S. deficit to GDP, which is approaching 13 percent, is an astonishingly large number.

"The mention of commodities in the final communique is another measure of the concern over asset price stability. They used the language normally used about currencies, for example, 'excessive volatility'."