September 20, 2019 / By mobanmarket
Stocks are indicating a slightly higher open on Friday when trading begins on Wall Street.
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Traders have moved on from monitoring central bank activity to China-U.S. trade talks.
All three U.S. equity futures markets are trading higher by 0.1 percent.
U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting in Washington for a second day to prepare trade negotiations next month in the trade war that has cast a shadow on growth.
But expectations have remained modest, with both sides indicating there is little too maneuver on the key sticking points over Beijing's industrial and technology policies.
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Major U.S. stock indexes ended mixed Thursday after an early rally fizzled toward the end of the day.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | %Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 27094.79 | -52.29 | -0.19% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 3006.79 | +0.06 | +0.00% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 8182.879231 | +5.49 | +0.07% |
The S&P 500 index rose less than 0.1 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave up an early gain, sliding 0.2 percent and the Nasdaq squeaked out a gain of 0.1 percent.
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As anticipated, China's central bank reduced its 1-year loan prime rate to 4.2% from 4.25%, slightly easing monetary conditions.
In Asian markets on Friday, Japan's Nikkei finished the day gaining 0.2 percent. Nikkei shares rose 0.4 percent for the week. The Shanghai Composite index rose 0.2 percent on the day, but lost 0.8 percent for the week. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost less than 0.1 Percent.
In Europe, London's FTSE slipped 0.2 percent, Germany's DAX was off 0.1 percent and France's CAC was lower by less than 0.1 percent.
On Wednesday, the Fed reduced its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year, seeking to prevent the economy from stalling in the face of slowing economic growth overseas and uncertainty over the U.S.-China trade war.
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Traders were encouraged Thursday by new economic snapshots, including data indicating U.S. home sales rose sharply last month and an index of manufacturing activity that came in ahead of analysts' forecasts. In addition, applications for U.S. unemployment aid edged higher last week, but still totaled less than what economists projected.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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