PROGRESS, or a lack thereof, on the US-China trade front continues to be the "be-all-and-end-all" driver of market sentiment.

On Tuesday, investors had to digest reports that Beijing was concerned about US President Donald Trump's unwillingness to roll back tariffs.

The effect of the report seemed to have a bigger negative effect in Singapore, where the Straits Times Index (STI) reversed Monday's gains, skidding 19.79 points or 0.6 per cent to close at 3,238.87. The Japanese and South Korean benchmarks joined the city-state's in the loss column.