A Christmas gift

Donald Trump delivers an early Christmas present by delaying tariffs on some Chinese products. Hong Kong protesters clash with police at the airport as China troops mass on the border. And CBS and Viacom finally script a happy ending to their tortured courtship. Here are some of the things people in markets are talking about today.

U.S. President Donald Trump took a step back in his trade war with Beijing, bowing to pressure from U.S. businesses concerned over the economic fallout of the ongoing spat with China. The U.S. said it would delay until mid-December a 10% tariff on a variety of Chinese consumer products such as cell phones, laptops, video games and children’s toys, leavening the impact on holiday-shopping consumers. However, other goods, including agricultural products, antiques, clothes, kitchenware and footwear, will remain on the list to be hit on Sept. 1. The announcement came as Vice Premier Liu He talked with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin by phone. They’re planning more calls in two weeks. But don’t look for the tariff delay to fix the trade war problem just yet.