Global Markets: Asian shares ease from record high

Asian shares retreated from a record peak after a Reuters report stated the United States was preparing to impose sanctions on some Chinese officials, while oil prices fell. 

In currencies, investor focus is on a last-ditch attempt by Britain and the EU to strike a post-Brexit trade deal this week. 

If there is no deal, a five-year Brexit divorce will end messily,  just as global economies grapple with the severe economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.