Asian markets braced for another hesitation, Nikkei holding steady near ¥21,250

• Risk aversion on pause for Tuesday as the US and China talk it out.
• Investors continue to pull themselves back together after several rounds of hard selling across the major equity spectrum.

Investor sentiment in the Pacific-Asia trading window remains tepid for Tuesday, with early action on Asian equities leaving the majority of exchanges largely hung in the middle as traders await a push in either direction as well-beaten bidders struggle to find reasons to buy.

Headlines are crossing the wires that key trade representatives from China and the US are exchanging phone calls, but details remain thin and so far little momentum has been seen on the 90-day tariff truce that was introduced two weeks ago at the G20 Leadership Summit in Beunos Aires. The two sides have been in discussions regarding the timetable for negotiations, but for now markets are holding relatively steady after several rounds of broad-based selloffs on trade war fears.

Japan’s leading Nikkei 225 index is down a -0.30% for Tuesday, with Tokyo’s Topix index retreating -0.70%, but China’s main indexes remain in relatively better shape, with the Hang Seng down only -0.15% and the Shanghai Composite up 0.40% for the day; Australia’s ASX 200 index is also seeing green for the day, currently up over 0.10%, but emerging markets are having a rough day with the MSCI broad Asia-Pacific index declining nearly -2% and counting.

Nikkei 225 Technical Levels