·         The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 6.38 points, or 0.03 percent, to 25,058.12, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 2.66 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,801.83 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 5.10 points, or 0.07percent, to 7,820.20.

U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Friday as escalating trade anxieties driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats against China offset a string of robust earnings led by Microsoft.

·         Asian shares declined on Monday, with Japanese stocks pressured by weakness in the dollar after the currency dropped on U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of the Federal Reserve.

The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.98 percent in morning trade as the dollar extended its losses against the Japanese currency. Against the yen, the dollar traded at 111.01 at 8:04 a.m. HK/SIN, compared to levels around the 111.4 handle seen at the end of Friday trade in New York.

Major exporters traded lower, with the electric appliances sector falling 1.06 percent and automakers declining. Financials, however, recorded sharp gains, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group up 3.41 percent.

Elsewhere, the Kospi slipped 0.27 percent as steep declines in blue chip tech stocks — including Samsung Electronics declining 1.79 percent — were partially offset by gains in automakers and manufacturing plays.

Reference: Reuters, CNBC