Asia shares retreat as investors question US strength

Asian share markets were mildly weaker on Tuesday as global investors consider the prospect the US economy’s ‘exceptionalism’ is starting to unwind as manufacturing activity in the world’s largest economy further weakened. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.1 per cent, after US stocks ended the previous session with mild gains. The index is up 1.6 per cent so far this month. Australian shares were down 0.21 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei stock index slid 0.77 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was flat in early trade and China’s CSI300 Index off 0.16 per cent….