Update: just moments after the bearish Bloomberg headlines hit, the WSJ was out with what almost appeared to be a prepared anti-hit piece, according to which talks are in their final stages and that top U.S. and China negotiators are "planning new rounds of talks starting next week" to end the trade war. According to the WSJ, Robert Lighthizer and Steven Mnuchin expect to fly to Beijing the week of March 25, to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.

Talks between the two nations are in the final stages, said individuals tracking the negotiations, with a target date for a deal by the end of April. That is about a month later than the two sides had initially planned.

The news helped stocks instantly rebound from their lows which were hit just moments earlier (see below) following the Bloomberg report that US officials are worried that China is pushing back against American demands in the trade talks.

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US equities and yuan are down notably after Bloomberg reports that some U.S. officials are concerned that China is pushing back against American demands in trade talks as progress slows toward a deal.

Chinese negotiators have shifted their stance with the view that while they have agreed to changes to their intellectual-property policies, they haven’t received assurances from the Trump administration that tariffs imposed on their exports would be lifted, two of the people said on condition of anonymity.

Trannies are leading the drop...

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And Yuan down hard...

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In recent days, Bloomberg reports that USTR has sent comments to its Chinese counterparts seeking to address concerns with language in China’s revised offer on intellectual-property protection, according to one person briefed on the discussions.

However, another person - reportedly close to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer - denied that Chinese officials have backed away from previous pledges. A Chinese official briefed on the talks said that the negotiations are still ongoing and that back-and-forth is to be expected in such circumstances.