U.S. stock benchmarks finished virtually unchanged on Thursday but the S&P 500 managed a tepid record close, as as hopes that the U.S. and China would soon finalize a trade agreement began to fade.

The S&P 500 index closed up less than 0.1% at 3,096. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished little-changed at 27,781 and the Nasdaq Composite Index finished slightly lower at 8,479.

Technology stocks fell as Cisco Systems Inc. slumped after earnings fell short of expectations, suggesting business are avoiding investment amid President Trump's trade clash with China. Shares of Cisco ended the day down 7.3% lower on Thursday, leading losers among Dow components.

Source : MarketWatch