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* U.S.-China strike phase one trade deal
* U.S. to modify tariffs in a "significant way"
* China to buy substantially more U.S. goods and services
* Indexes off: Dow 0.28%, S&P 500 0.29%, Nasdaq 0.11%
(Adds comments, updates prices throughout)
By Shreyashi Sanyal
Dec 13 (Reuters) - Wall Street fell in volatile trading on
Friday, as investors remained confused about signs of progress
on a U.S.-China trade deal despite comments from both sides that
they had arrived at an initial agreement.
All three major stock indexes hit fresh record highs earlier
in the session as Beijing said it had agreed on the context of a
trade pact with Washington, but turned lower after comments that
a deal had not yet been formally signed. "At this point, I don't think we know what we know about the
deal ... so markets are going to pause, and wait and see," said
Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives for
Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas.
U.S. investors also missed out on a global rally fueled by a
landslide victory for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that
paves the way for an orderly Brexit and lifts some of the fog on
the global economic horizon. MKTS/GLOB
At home, political clouds gathered as the U.S. House of
Representatives committee approved charges of abuse of power and
obstruction against President Donald Trump, making it almost
certain he will become the third American president in history
to be impeached. A positive tone on trade, a dovish Federal Reserve and
strong domestic economic data have fueled a recent Wall Street
rally, with the benchmark S&P 500 up about 26% so far this year
and on track for its best annual performance in six years.
At 11:32 a.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was
down 78.19 points, or 0.28%, at 28,053.86, the S&P 500 .SPX
was down 9.28 points, or 0.29%, at 3,159.29 and the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC was down 9.94 points, or 0.11%, at 8,707.38.
Broadcom Inc AVGO.O dropped 5% as analysts were wary of
the chipmaker's revenue forecast for 2020. Adobe Inc ADBE.O rose 5% after the company beat analysts'
estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and profit. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.29-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and for a 1.59-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 71 new 52-week highs and one new low,
while the Nasdaq recorded 89 new highs and 34 new lows.