US equity markets eased amid lingering trade concerns - Dow eased -44-points or -0.17%, marking its first back-to-back loss this month. The broader S&P500 slipped -0.20%, with the Energy sector (down -1.44%) the key underperformer, while the defensive Utilities sector (up +1.33%) topped the gainers list. The NASDAQ lost -0.38%. Facebook Inc dropped -1.7% after a Wall Street Journal report showed the company uncovered emails linking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg to potentially problematic privacy practices. Tesla Inc fell -3.6%, unwinding an earlier gain scored after Chief Executive Elon Musk late Tuesday (11 June) took the stage at the company’s shareholder meeting and denied the company was facing demand and production problems. Mattel Inc rose 5.3% after reports the toy company turned down a merger offer from MGA Entertainment Inc. It also announced it has extended its licensing agreement with Warner Bros. There were reports that China's state media is preparing to publish some further heavyweight criticism of the US. Separately, President Trump walked back on comments he made earlier this week in saying that he has no timeline on additional China tariffs.
