· The S&P 500 slipped on Thursday, snapping a three-day streak of gains, as uncertainty over when a trade deal between the United States and China would be reached left investors on edge.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday that discussions with China to end a months-long trade war are progressing quickly, though Trump said he could not say whether a final deal would be reached.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had been expected to hold a summit in Florida this month, but no date has been set. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters there “were rumblings” about a possible meeting late next month.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that a meeting between the two was more likely to take place in April at the earliest.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 7.05 points, or 0.03 percent, to 25,709.94, the S&P 500 lost 2.44 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,808.48, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 12.50 points, or 0.16 percent, to 7,630.91.
· European shares rose to a five-month high on Thursday, boosted by strength in the banking sector after Britain’s parliament voted to reject a disorderly Brexit.
Sentiment improved from cautious to upbeat after the open, ahead of another vote on Thursday evening that could delay Britain’s planned departure from the European Union.
The pan-European STOXX 600 ended up 0.7 percent, while British blue chips rose 0.5 percent.
· Asia Pacific markets were mostly up Friday as investors digested new developments on the U.S.-China trade front and reacted to a vote from lawmakers that could potentially delay the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.
· In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.83 percent while the Topix index added 0.88 percent. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.38 percent.
Reference: CNBC, Reuters
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