US equity markets retreated amid fresh trade jitters and as the latest data recorded that US manufacturing contracted in November  - Dow fell -268-points or -0.96% The broader S&P500 -0.86%, Four of the five so-called FAANG stocks – Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Google parent Alphabet Inc – along with Microsoft Inc have accounted for ~25% of the S&P 500’s ~26% gain thus far in 2019.  NASDAQ -1.12%. Intel Corp  fell -0.5% after it announced the completion of the sale of the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple Inc, a US$1B deal announced back on 25 July.