Global FX DATA:

• • • ASIAN MARKET
      
      Asian shares were struggling to avoid a ninth straight session of losses on Tuesday as the spectre of a Sino-U.S. trade war haunted investors, while the pound perched near a five-week top on hints a Brexit deal might be nearer.

    • GOLD
      
      Gold inched lower on Tuesday as the dollar firmed on worries over a potential new trade action from the United States against China and expectations of a U.S. interest rate increase this month by the Federal Reserve.
       
  • • OIL
      
      Oil was steady on Tuesday, supported by looming U.S. sanctions against Iran’s petroleum industry.
       
    • EURO
      
      The euro and sterling held onto overnight gains against the dollar on Tuesday after the European Union’s chief negotiator raised hopes of a deal for Britain to leave the economic bloc being struck in the coming weeks.
       
    • CRYPTOCURRENCY
      
      Cryptocurrencies resumed their slide on Tuesday morning in Asia, with most of them giving up any ground they made up Monday. Bitcoin, the largest and best known cryptocurrency, was the sole exception.
         
    • CANADA
      
      Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will meet U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington for another round of talks to renew the NAFTA trade pact, as time runs short to seal a deal.
       
    • VENEZUELA
      
      Venezuela has agreed to hand over at least seven oil fields to little-known companies that will be paid to boost output through contracts similar to ones rolled back under late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

    • US
       

      The United States has issued a fresh warning to airlines to exercise caution when operating in Iran’s airspace, citing concerns over military activity including an unnamed U.S. civil operator being intercepted by fighter jets in December 2017.

    • CHINA
       

      Hebei, China’s top steelmaking province, has ordered mills in almost a dozen of its smoggiest cities to shut, move to one of four industrial parks on the coast, or relocate by 2020.

    • AUSTRALIA
      
      Australia lowered its wheat forecast by nearly 13 percent as a crippling drought across the country’s east coast has cut output from the world’s fourth-largest exporter to a 10-year low.

    • INDIA
      
      Indian gas firm GAIL (INDIA) Ltd aims to add 5,500 km gas pipelines to boost its capacity by about 50 percent in the next 3 years.
       

    • JAPAN
      
      
      Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp said  it had agreed to buy U.S. peer Integrated Device Technology Inc for about $6.7 billion, aiming to boost its expertise in self-driving car technologies.