Asian markets are mostly higher Wednesday as worries about the growing number of coronavirus infections in the United States and Europe has tempered optimism about a potentially safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The S&P/ASX index in Australia finished 0.5% higher.  The Shanghai Composite index and South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index both finished up 0.2%, while the TSEC index in Taiwan gained 1.3%   Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index lost 1.1%.  In late afternoon trading, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is 0.4% higher, and Mumbai’s Sensex is up 0.3%. In commodities trading, gold is down 0.2%, selling at $1,880.00 per ounce.  U.S. crude oil is selling at $41.56 per barrel, up 0.3%, and Brent crude is selling at $44.00 per barrel, up 0.5%.   In futures trading, all three major U.S. indices are trending negatively. 
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