US says directed the closure of China's Houston consulate to protect intellectual property

Comments by the US Department of State

• The closure of China's Houston consulate is to US' protect intellectual property and private information
• Will not tolerate China's violation of US' sovereignty
• Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in US-China relations

Not much details are on offer but the headline earlier is part of what is weighing on broader risk sentiment, with US futures seen lower by 0.5% currently.

In turn, the dollar is firmer across the board in European morning trade with EUR/USD slightly softer at 1.1518 while AUD/USD fell from a high of 0.7168 to 0.7120 now.