The U.S. stock market had to digest after market news Tuesday that the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign the interim trade deal could be delayed until December to continue discussions over terms. An anonymous senior official tied to the Trump administration told Reuters that it is still possible for the "phase one" agreement to not be reached, but a deal is more likely than not.
Here's how the stock market closed out on a murky Wednesday:
S&P 500 Index (SPY): +0.07% or +2.15 points
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA): -0.00% or -0.07 points
Nasdaq Composite Index (QQQ): -0.29% or -24.05 points
For global markets, IHS Markit's October Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the eurozone rose to 50.6, slightly up from September's reading of 50.1. The European economies tracked outperformed in the services sector against the contracting manufacturing. Germany, which is the largest economy in the eurozone, is the only country to have its individual PMI remain below the neutral 50, which shows ongoing contraction for October.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, said: "The euro area remained close to stagnation in October, with falling order books suggesting that risks are currently tilted towards contraction in the fourth quarter. While the October PMI is consistent with quarterly GDP rising by 0.1%, the forward looking data points to a possible decline in economic output in the fourth quarter...As for the immediate outlook, much depends on geopolitical issues such as US tariff developments and Brexit."
In U.S. Stock Sector news, most have been gaining steadily as the week heads towards its end. Those that saw modest increases Wednesday include Health Care +0.56%, Consumer Staples +0.52%, Real Estate +0.41%, Financials +0.41%, Utilities +0.26%, Consumer Discretionary +0.06%, and Industrials +0.05%. Those that continue to slide include Energy -2.29%, Communication Services -0.20%, Materials -0.09%, and Information Technology -0.01%.
In Commodity news, oil prices have started to decrease following the trade uncertainty and the growing investor fear over future global demand. West Texas Intermediate dropped over -1.40%, lowing the price per barrel to around $56.50. Brent Crude saw steeper declines, with prices dropping almost -1.80%, to bring the price to around $61.80. Gold sought to gain back Tuesday's losses, with the metal price increasing +0.45% to price around $1,490.50 per ounce. The US Dollar Index paired small gains today amid trade uncertainty, with the currency increasing just over +0.05% with price a bit below $98.