SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks flatlined on Wednesday as Sino-U.S. trade talks approached a weekend deadline with little sign of progress, while a tightening of the UK election race knocked the pound.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The British pound slipped early on Wednesday after a poll showed a narrowing lead for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party in an election later in the week, while U.S. dollar movement looked to the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Auto sales in China fell for a 17th consecutive month in November, with the number of new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold contracting for a fifth month in a row, data from the country’s biggest auto industry association showed on Tuesday.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The dollar and yen mostly held the safe-haven high ground on Tuesday, with investors wary of a looming deadline for U.S. tariffs on China, the British election and upcoming Federal Reserve and European Central Bank meetings.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Asian equity markets ticked down on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street losses as investors fretted over a Dec. 15 deadline for the next round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports to take effect.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices dropped on Tuesday for a second straight session as the cons of a slowing global demand outlook outweighed the pros of OPEC’s agreement with associated producers at the end of last week to deepen crude output cuts in early 2020.