Asian stocks kicked off Monday in mixed fashion as investors assess valuations after declines over the past three weeks thanks to the escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions. The yuan steadied after China warned against shorting the currency. Japan’s Topix index edged higher, while Hong Kong and China stocks fell. Main equity gauges in Australia and South Korea were little changed. The S&P 500 Index eked out a gain Friday and the 10-year Treasury yield held steady. With holidays in the U.K. and U.S. Monday, trading volumes could be lighter than usual. One of China’s senior-most economic officials said that speculators “shorting the yuan will inevitably suffer from a huge loss.” The comments come just as pressure on the currency mounts amid the trade tensions and softening economic growth. -  Bloomberg 

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