Asian Markets Uneasy as U.S. Debt Negotiations Stall HONG KONG - With just days until a crucial deadline on the U.S. debt ceiling, stock markets in Asia started the week with modest declines as investors considered the global financial devastation of a U.S. debt default. Talks in Washington over the weekend did not produce an agreement on restoring government operations and raising the nation's debt limit - both of which are seen as vital to allowing the government to pay its bills. Although many analysts expect an 11th-hour resolution to the political impasse before Thursday, there is a considerable amount of nervousness among world leaders and investors that the brinksmanship in Washington could trigger a partial debt default. Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region mostly edged lower on Monday, with the Straits Times Index in Singapore and the Taiex in Taiwan both down about 0.6 percent by late morning, and the Kospi in South Korea slipping 0.1 percent. The S.&P./ASX 200 in Australia was 0.4 percent lower by early afternoon in Sydney. Futures on the S.&P. 500 also slipped, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street. In mainland China, stocks were slightly up by late morning, with the Shanghai composite index rising 0.3 percent after economic data for September, released over the weekend and on Monday, offered mixed signals as to the strength of China's growth. Exports slipped 0.3 percent from a year earlier, according to figures released Saturday. That confounded expectations for an increase of about 6 percent. But imports rose a solid 7.4 percent, suggesting that domestic demand was firm. And inflation data released Monday showed consumer prices had risen 3.1 percent compared with a year earlier - slightly more than analysts polled by Reuters had expected, but still well below the government's target of 3.5 percent. Markets in Hong Kong, Japan and Indonesia were closed for national holidays.