US stock indexes veer lower ahead of trade talks with China
U.S. stock indexes veered slightly lower in late-afternoon trading Thursday ahead of a new round of trade talks between the U.S. and China. Losses in technology stocks, utilities and other sectors outweighed gains in energy and industrial companies. Small-company stocks were faring better than the rest of the market.
KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index slipped 2 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,720 as of 3:22 p.m. Eastern Time. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 61 points, or 0.3 percent, to 24,707. The Nasdaq composite fell 11 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,387. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 10 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,626, a day after it closed at an all-time high.