U.S. stocks finished slightly higher on Monday, carving out record closes for all three major equity benchmarks, as investors tried to gauge the progress on a phase one trade deal between U.S. and China.
The S&P 500 was up 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to finish at 3,122. The Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up 31 points, or 0.1%, to end around 28,036, based on preliminary numbers. The Nasdaq Composite rose 9 points, or 0.1%, to end near 8,550.
Investors were tugged by news reports that both indicated progress and potential setbacks to U.S.-China trade talks.
Over the weekend, top negotiators held "constructive" discussions, according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua. But a later report by CNBC suggested that without rolling back existing tariffs the outlook for a resolution looked dim.
The Trump administration also issued a 90-day extension of a license allowing U.S. companies to keep doing business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. In company news, shares of HP Inc. fell after it rejected a takeover offer from Xerox Holdings Corp.
Source : Market Watch