GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks weaken as infection worries curb vaccine enthusiasm

* U.S. begins to roll-out vaccines
* Market worried by rise in infections, lockdowns
* China Nov industrial data in line with forecasts
* British pound lifted by extension of Brexit talks
* Asia stock markets this year: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4

By Anshuman Daga and David Henry
SINGAPORE/NEW YORK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Asian stocks drifted
lower on Tuesday as worries about increasing COVID-19 deaths and
lockdowns overshadowed optimism about the roll-out of
coronavirus vaccinations.
Markets showed little reaction to China's industrial output,
which grew in line with expectations in November, expanding for
an eighth straight month as an economic recovery gathered pace.
The number of coronavirus deaths in the United States
crossed 300,000 on Monday as the hardest hit nation started its
first vaccine inoculations. "Considerable uncertainty surrounds the timeline for rollout
but key safety milestones could be met by around mid 2021,"
economists at Westpac said in a note.
"Meanwhile several jurisdictions continue to struggle with
major outbreaks with a particularly notable rise in cases in the
U.S.," they said.
Most Asian markets retreated in early trade, with MSCI's
index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS
falling 0.4%, having hit a string of record highs last week.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 EScv1 rose 0.1%.
Chinese stocks .CSI300 were down 0.2%.
Markets in Japan and South Korea, both grappling with
surging infection numbers and growing public frustration,
slipped 0.2% and 0.3%. Hong Kong .HSI gave up 0.5%.
Australian stocks fell 0.3% .AXJO , pulled down by
heavyweight miners on fears of higher regulatory scrutiny over
surging iron ore prices in top consumer, China.
On Monday, tighter COVID-19 restrictions were imposed on
London as the government citing increased infection rates that
may be partly linked to a new variant of the coronavirus.
News of the vaccines has powered gains in the last few
months, with the Asian benchmark up nearly 16% so far this year,
sitting just shy of a record struck last week. The rally has
been led by markets in South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Last week, the United States authorised the emergency use of
its first COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
The vaccine has already been authorised in a handful of
countries including Britain and Canada.
"We now know we are building a bridge to somewhere,
providing clarity for policymakers, households and companies
about getting to a post COVID stage," strategists at BlackRock
Investment Institute said in a report.
"Yet disappointing jobs data in recent weeks pointed to near
term risks as the virus surges around the U.S., potentially
slowing the restart," they said.
On Monday, the S&P 500 .SPX closed down 0.4%, the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC gained 0.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial
Average hit a record high but fell back 0.6% for the day.
In foreign exchange markets, the British pound was steady
against the dollar at $1.3332 GBP=D4 , after rising 0.8% on
Monday as the UK and Europe agreed to continue Brexit talks.
It reached a 2 1/2-year high of $1.3540 earlier
this month.
The dollar traded near 2-1/2-year lows against major peers
as demand for the safest assets flagged. USD/
U.S. Treasury yields US10YT=RR were relatively stable
ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting on
Tuesday. Market expectations are growing that the Fed will further
ease monetary policy by expanding its bond buying programme, as
U.S. lawmakers struggle to agree on a fiscal stimulus package.
The Bank of England and the Bank of Japan also close out
their 2020 meetings this week.
Gold prices XAU= edged up 0.2% to $1,831.9 per ounce.
Oil prices ticked lower as persistent oversupply in the
market largely offset hopes that a rollout of coronavirus
vaccines will lift global fuel demand. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Global assets http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl
Global currencies vs. dollar http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Emerging markets http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV
MSCI All Country Wolrd Index Market Cap http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
Asia stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
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