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A rally in equities faltered after reports that a trade deal between the U.S. and China was hitting some speed bumps. Beijing could seek to exclude Boeing Co.’s 737 Max from what it would buy as part of any pact. Also, it looks like Theresa May faces an April deadline to decide about Brexit. Here are some of the things people in markets are talking about.

China Push Back 

Another bad sign for trade negotiations. The U.S. is concerned that China is pushing back against American demands, according to people familiar with the talks, even as President Donald Trump sounded optimistic about a deal. Chinese officials said that while they agreed to changes to their intellectual-property policies, they haven’t received assurances from the Trump administration that tariffs would be lifted. Beijing has also stepped back from initial promises over data protection of pharmaceuticals, didn’t offer details on plans to improve patent linkages and refused to give ground on data-service issues, one person familiar with the talks said. 

Deadline for Brexit 

On Thursday, the European Union is likely to tell U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May she has three weeks to decide whether to delay Brexit until 2020, or to take her chances on getting her current deal approved in Parliament by July, a senior EU official said. If May decides she can coax a winning vote by summer, the EU is almost certain to reject any further delay if she loses, the official said. If, however, May decides she can’t get a deal by July, the EU is likely to grant an extension into next year.

China May Nix Boeing’s Max 

China is looking at excluding Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jet from a list of exports it would buy as part of a trade deal with the U.S., people familiar with the matter said. Boeing’s airliners were featured on a draft list of American products China would buy to reduce its trade surplus with the U.S., they said. Now, safety concerns triggered by the crash of a 737 Max operated by Ethiopian Airlines are pushing China to examine whether to cut the model from the list. A reduction in aircraft purchases could make it harder for China to fulfill any offer to pare its $300-billion-plus annual goods trade surplus with the U.S. over six years. More broadly, it may delay an end to the trade war.

U.S. Stock Rally Sputters 

Asia stocks were ready to open mixed after a U.S. rally sputtered. The S&P 500 Index ended the session little changed Tuesday on word of new roadblocks to a U.S.-China deal. Earlier in the session, the benchmark topped 2,850 for the first time since October. Treasury yields narrowed and Texas crude declined. “The markets have priced in the trade-war resolution, so if there’s any chance this gets extended, delayed or changed, this causes markets to be jittery,’’ said Gene Goldman, chief investment officer at Cetera Investment Management.

Kazakhstan’s Leader-For-Life Quits 

Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation as president of Kazakhstan, signaling the start of a long-awaited transfer of power after almost three decades as ruler of central Asia’s largest energy producer. “I’ve taken the difficult decision to terminate my powers as president” as of March 20, Nazarbayev said in a televised address Tuesday. He said Senate Chairman Kassym-Jomart Tokayev would succeed him until elections scheduled for 2020. Nazarbayev, 78, said he would retain the key positions of head of Kazakhstan’s security council, chief of the ruling Nur Otan party and member of the Constitutional Council.

What we’ve been reading:

This is what caught our eye over the last 24 hours.

• Chinese investors sue after a $1 billion sports deal goes bust. 
• Murdoch family billionaires will multiply after Disney completes its Fox deal. 
• A criminal past haunts the surviving founder of a troubled crypto exchange.
• What if instead of taking the SATs you got to play a video game?
• When you die, it won’t be an egg that killed you.
• Facebook pledges to block discriminatory ads.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Rovella at drovella@bloomberg.net

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