Risk appetite was dampened in early...........>

FOREX: Risk appetite was dampened in early Asia-Pac trade on the back of global

trade tensions re: Chinese tech companies & potential delays to U.S. trade talks

with Japan & the EU.

- JPY outperformed at the margin, with USD/JPY 
session. The Nikkei 225 & U.S. equity futures trade marginally lower. Worth
noting BoJ Gov Kuroda spoke overnight stressing the need to eye the impact of
unconventional policy.
- NZD underperformed amidst talk of some modest NZ funding pressure around the
upcoming NZ holiday, in the aftermath of a soft REINZ house sales print.
- Sterling traded mixed after PM May survived yesterday's no-confidence vote (as
exp.) and proceeded to cross-party talks re: Brexit, which the Labour Party's
Corbyn refused to attend unless the prospect of "no deal" is formally removed.
- USD was relatively firm, although no prospects of ending the ongoing gov't
shutdown any time soon have emerged.
- Focus today turns to EZ CPI (f) & U.S. initial jobless claims. Elsewhere,
ECB's Lautenschlaeger, Fed's Quarles & EU Brexit negotiator Barnier will speak.