SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian stocks took a breather at 18-month peaks on Wednesday having climbed for five straight sessions, while the British pound was licking its wounds as revived Brexit fears came back to bite it.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil retreated on Wednesday after rising more than 1% in the previous session as U.S. industry data showed a surprise build in crude stocks, but hopes for firmer demand next year checked a deeper fall in prices.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares gained on Tuesday, but a lack of detail about the Sino-U.S. trade deal tempered some of the exuberance that sent Wall Street to record highs overnight, while familiar fears of a hard Brexit knocked the pound.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices trickled a fraction lower on Tuesday but remained near a three-month high as investors kept the faith with hopes that a fully fledged U.S.-China trade deal is in the pipeline and set to stoke oil demand in the world’s biggest economies.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Growth in China’s industrial and retail sectors beat expectations in November, as government support propped up demand in the world’s second-largest economy and amid easing trade hostilities with Washington.

BEIJING, Dec 16 (Reuters) - China’s industrial output and retail sales growth accelerated more than expected in November, suggesting resilience in the economy as Beijing seeks to prop up domestic demand amid the trade war with the United States.