GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian markets under pressure as Wall St falters, COVID-19 cases rise

By Jessica DiNapoli
NEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Asian stocks came under
pressure on Tuesday as a deadline for U.S. lawmakers to pass an
economic stimulus bill approached and record daily coronavirus
infections in Europe ignited concerns about more severe
lockdowns.
In early Asia trade, Australian stocks .AXJO dipped at the
open while MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe
.MIWD00000PUS shed 0.06%.
Chris Weston, the head of research at Melbourne brokerage
Pepperstone, attributed the decline to worries about
Washington's stimulus package and positioning ahead of the Nov.
3 U.S. presidential election. "Do you really want to hold those exposures into what could
be a volatility event?" Weston said. "We're getting into the
Wild West territory where it becomes more whippy."
Japan's Nikkei 225 futures .N225 slipped 0.4%. Hong Kong's
Hang Seng index futures .HSI .HSIc1 were down 0.59%.
Investors await earnings later in the week for companies
including Netflix Inc NFLX.O and Tesla Inc TSLA.O .

They were also waiting to see if the final debate between
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe
Biden on Thursday shifts the trajectory of the election.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States last
week rose 13% to more than 393,000, approaching levels last seen
during a summer peak, according to a Reuters analysis.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 1.44%, the S&P
500 .SPX was 1.63% lower and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC
settled down 1.65%. The dollar edged lower on Monday as investors were
cautiously optimistic that U.S. lawmakers could agree on a
fiscal stimulus package ahead of the elections, and that a
coronavirus vaccine will be ready by year-end. The dollar index =USD fell 0.304%, with the euro EUR= up
0.02% to $1.1768.
Treasury yields pared earlier increases on Monday while oil
prices dipped partly because Libya plans to boost output.
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(Editing by Sam Holmes)