Asian shares dribble as fears of virus variants battle vaccine, stimulus hopes. South Korea makes diplomatic efforts to regain tanker details in Iran, the US interferes. Japan to halt travel deal with China, South Korea amid virus resurgence, eying ban on all foreign travels. Equities in Asia-Pacific look for clear direction as the coronavirus (COVID-19) fears combat vaccine news and expectations of Democratic victory in Georgia during early Tuesday. As a result, MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan steps back from the record high, flashed the previous day, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 follows the suit with 0.30% intraday losses by press time. Shares in Australia also remain on the back foot, ASX 200 down 0.35% by the time of press, even as Aussie PM Scott Morrison hints at receding virus pressure inside the Pacific major. On the contrary, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga said, as per Nikkei, to decide on a national emergency as early as Thursday. The UK, Germany and France are tightening activity restrictions as the covid variants trigger pandemic fears. The virus strain traced from South Africa becomes a major threat as medical professionals from the UK suggest a higher infection rate and resilience against vaccines for the same. It should be noted that South Korea is in confrontation with Iran and the US interferes to help the Asian nation regain its vessels locked in Tehran. The same escalates risk-off mood as American earlier cited global threats from the Middle East nation citing its nuclear efforts. Elsewhere, Chinese shares recover some of the latest losses while equities from Indian, Hong Kong and South Korea flash mild losses. Other than the risk catalysts mentioned above, increasing odds of Democratic victory in the Georgian election runoff, which will offer Senate back-up to Joe Biden, favor the risks. Also on the positive side are comments from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signaling a higher success ratio of leading covid vaccines. Amid these plays, S&P 500 Futures consolidate the previous day’s losses while the US 10-year Treasury yields also follow the suit as taking rounds to 0.92% by press time. As the economic calendar remains mostly silent in Asia, also likely to stay the same ahead of the US session, risk catalysts will be the key to watch. Read: S&P 500 Futures regain 3,700 amid fresh vaccine hopes FX Street FX Street FXStreet is the leading independent portal dedicated to the Foreign Exchange (Forex) market. It was launched in 2000 and the portal has always been proud of their unyielding commitment to provide objective and unbiased information, to enable their users to take better and more confident decisions. View All Post By FX Street FXStreet News share Read Next AUD/USD Price Analysis: Fades recovery moves around 0.7700 FX Street 2 years Asian shares dribble as fears of virus variants battle vaccine, stimulus hopes. South Korea makes diplomatic efforts to regain tanker details in Iran, the US interferes. Japan to halt travel deal with China, South Korea amid virus resurgence, eying ban on all foreign travels. Equities in Asia-Pacific look for clear direction as the coronavirus (COVID-19) fears combat vaccine news and expectations of Democratic victory in Georgia during early Tuesday. As a result, MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan steps back from the record high, flashed the previous day, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 follows the suit with 0.30% intraday losses… Regulated Forex Brokers All Brokers Sponsored Brokers Broker Benefits Min Deposit Score Visit Broker 1 $100T&Cs Apply 0% Commission and No stamp DutyRegulated by US,UK & International StockCopy Successfull Traders 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 2 T&Cs Apply 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 3 Recommended Broker $100T&Cs Apply No deposit or withdrawal feesTrade major forex pairs such as EUR/USD with leverage up to 30:1 and tight spreads of 0.9 pips Low $100 minimum deposit to open a trading account 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 4 T&Cs Apply Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 5 Recommended Broker $0T&Cs Apply Trade gold, silver, and platinum directly against major currenciesUp to 1:500 leverage for forex trading24/5 customer service by phone and email 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk.