With the Hong Kong demonstrations now entering into their sixth month, Hong Kong police opened fire and shot two teenagers in an attempt to ease the chaos erupted across the city a day after officers fired tear gas to break up demonstrations.
The latest violence comes after a student died in hospital last week following a high fall as protesters were being dispersed by police.
The market mood remains tepid on the onset of a fresh week, as a sense of caution prevails amid a lack of clarity on the US-China trade issue and ahead of key macro-economic releases on both sides of Atlantic.
Meanwhile, USD/JPY is back in the red and nears the 109 handle, as S&P 500 futures drop -0.15% while the Nikkei 225 index trades modestly flat so far.