ASIA SOFTER , YUAN WEAKER, STERLING JUMP , CRUDE OIL FALL

• On Tuesday , Asian Indices started softer as another day awaiting clearer news on the progress of U.S.-China trade negotiations weighed on jaded investors' sentiment.

• PBoC fixes at 7.0030 vs 7.0061 estimated.

• Monday night, CNBC reported the mood in Beijing was pessimistic about the prospects of sealing an agreement.

• On the other hand, a new extension allowing U.S. companies to continue doing business with Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd suggested something positive.

• The next deadline in the dispute - which has harmed global growth - is Dec. 15, when another round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese good is scheduled to take effect.

• Overnight Wall Street's main indexes were mostly flat, looking for direction on trade, though they ended the day inching higher to record high closing levels.

• On Monday, China's central bank cut rates on seven-day reverse repurchase agreements by five basis points to 2.50 per cent, a move that nudged the yuan higher while lowering bond yields.

• The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes fell overnight and steadied at 1.8152% in Asia.

• Currency markets were becalmed and trading was light. Uncertainty on the trade front dented the dollar a little bit overnight, though most currencies kept to tight ranges awaiting more concrete news.

• The greenback was steady against the Japanese yen in early trade and a touch stronger against the Australian and New Zealand dollars.

• The biggest mover overnight was the British pound which headed toward $1.30 as four polls showed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party tracking toward victory at the Dec. 12 election.

• Sterling hit a one-month high of $1.2984 overnight, before retreating a little in early Asian trade to settle around $1.2946.

• Market attention will be focused on the release of minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's November meeting at 0030 GMT, which will be scoured for signals as to whether the central bank will cut rates below an already record low 0.75%.

• Gold , which has been closely tracking the fortunes of the China-U.S. trade dispute was flat at $1,473 per ounce.

• Brent crude futures fell 1.6% to $62.29 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude lost 0.23% to $56.92 per barrel.