U.S. stocks fell at the start of trade Monday, ahead of a fresh round of high-level tariff negotiations between Beijing and Washington, scheduled to begin in earnest Oct. 10-11. The prospects of upbeat negotiations, however, appeared unlikely given the reports that China is advocating for a limited trade agreement.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 90 points, or 0.3%, to 26,481, while the S&P 500 index lost 9 points, or 0.3%, to trade at 2,942. The Nasdaq Composite Index retreated 21 points, or 0.3%, at 7,962.

On Friday, the Dow rose 372.68 points, or 1.4%, to 26,573.72, the S&P 500 index added 41.38 points, or 1.4% to 2,952.01 while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 110.21 points, or 1.4%, to 7,982.47.

Last week, the Dow lost 0.9% for a third weekly decline, while the S&P 500 ended 0.3% lower also posting a third down week, but the Nasdaq managed a gain of 0.5%, snapping a two week losing streak.

Source : Market Watch