Asian shares slipped on Wednesday as investor concerns about rising tensions between the United States and China tempered optimism about a re-opening of the world economy. U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Tuesday he is preparing to take action against China this week over its effort to impose national security laws on Hong Kong, but gave no further details. Hong Kong shares led declines among major regional indexes, with Hang Seng falling 0.46%, though it kept a bit of distance from a two-month low touched on Monday. MSCI's ex-Japan Asia-Pacific index lost 0.12%, with mainland Chinese shares down a similar amount. Japan's Nikkei was almost flat. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 ESc1 rose 0.4%, reclaiming the 3,000 chart level. The index had cleared 3,000 points in Wall Street overnight before pulling back, as some traders returned to the New York Stock Exchange floor for the first time in two months. Still, the index of world’s 49 stock markets stood near 2 1/2-month highs, having gained 2.6% so far this month on hopes of economic recovery in the developed world as countries ease social restrictions. Gold prices rebounded from losses as some investors played it safe, with spot gold unchanged at $1,710.9 per ounce.......
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