A bit of a choppy session for most of the....>

STOCKS: A bit of a choppy session for most of the major regional Asia-Pac equity

indices, with the Coronavirus still front and centre. A press conference from

China's National Health Commission, outlining the current situation &

preventative measures in play took the edge off fears (for now at least), with a

lack of overt worry evident.

- The majority of the benchmark indices recovered from their session lows in the

wake of the press conference, with the S&P 500 & NASDAQ 100 equity index futures

registering fresh record highs in that time frame.

- However, Chinese equity indices still sit a touch lower on the day, with one

eye on pre-holiday liquidity ahead of the Lunar New Year, as well as the ongoing

worry re: Coronavirus and its impact.

- Nikkei 225 +0.6%, Hang Seng +0.8%, CSI 300 -0.1%, ASX 200 +0.9%.

- S&P 500 futures +15, DJIA futures +107, NASDAQ 100 futures +58.