Asia markets: U.S. dollar moves, vaccine optimism and economic worries

SINGAPORE ࢀ" Asia-Pacific markets were set to trade lower Thursday as traders grapple with optimism around a potential coronavirus vaccine and economic worries. In Australia, the benchmark ASX 200 fell 0.23% in early trade where resource producers struggled for gains. The country’s so-called Big Four banks rose, with Westpac up by 1.03%. Futures pointed to a cautious open in Japan where the benchmark Nikkei 225 last finished at 25,728.14 on Wednesday. The session in Asia follows U.S. stocks falling for a second straight day , pausing a recent rally to new records. “It was a consolidative day for financial markets,…