TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Monday, but held near recent three-month highs amid optimism that the United States and China are close to signing a trade deal, with President Donald Trump saying an agreement would be signed “very shortly”.

BEIJING: China's economy could face more downward pressure in 2020 than it did this year, but the government will take steps to keep growth within a reasonable range, state television on Thursday (Dec 19) quoted Premier Li Keqiang as saying.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — Overall supply of natural rubber is expected to be tight in the first quarter of 2020, which will likely lead to the continuous rising of rubber prices, according to an annual report on the Xinhua-HSF natural rubber series price indexes (2018-2019).

SEOUL (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady near three-month highs on Friday, heading for a third consecutive weekly rise, on the back of easing Sino-U.S. trade tensions that have weighed on demand as well as the global economic growth outlook.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares snoozed near 18-month highs on Friday as trade thinned in the run-up to Christmas and investors seemed content to digest the chunky gains already made so far this month.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices remained atop three-month peaks on Thursday, extending a robust streak that began a week ago, as thawing trade relations between the United States and China supported global markets.