Asian indices have tracked Wall St. lower....>

STOCKS: Asian indices have tracked Wall St. lower as a bout of risk aversion

pushed stocks to fresh lows in late NY trade.

- The Nikkei 225 lost 1.8% as tech names followed their US counterparts lower on

trade war worry, with a large number of shares going ex-dividend also weighing

on the index.

- The Hang Seng lost 1.1%, with IT leading the way lower, although the defensive

consumer staples sector managed to post gains. China's CSI also shed 0.9%.

- Australia's ASX 200 lost 0.7% as index heavyweight Rio Tinto lost ground as

its agreement to sell its last remaining coal mine removes a degree of

diversification from the business, while banks also sold off, with the move

attributed to the jump in funding costs.

- US index futures edged higher, with the e-mini S&P 2 points better off & the

mini Dow 30 points higher.