Asian shares meander after big-tech led drop on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

Shares are mostly lower in Asia after a broad slide on Wall Street led by technology companies. Tokyo’s Nikkei dropped 2.2% and Hong Kong’s benchmark recovered from early losses. China-U.S. tensions regained attention after U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she plans frank conversations with officials in Beijing about an interim trade deal aimed at resolving a tariff war. On Monday, the S&P 500 fell 1.3% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gave up 2.1%. The price of U.S. oil rose is at nearly $78 per barrel, its highest level since 2014, after OPEC and allied oil producers stuck to a plan for cautious increases in output despite surging global demand for crude.