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* U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could be delayed - SCMP
* TD Ameritrade surges as Schwab in talks to buy company -
* Tiffany gains as LVMH raises bid, gets access to books
* Indexes down: Dow 0.3%, S&P 0.3%, Nasdaq 0.3%
(Updates to open, adds comment)
By Manas Mishra and Shreyashi Sanyal
Nov 21 (Reuters) - The three major U.S. indexes fell on
Thursday after conflicting headlines on U.S-China trade
relations and a row between the world's top two economies over
the Hong Kong protest led to uncertainty over the timing of a
deal to end the dispute.
All three indexes had opened flat after a report that the
United States could delay tariffs on Chinese imports even if a
deal was not reached by Dec. 15, when tariffs kick in on goods
including items such as electronics and Christmas decorations.
The benchmark S&P 500 ended the last session in the red
after Reuters reported that the deal could slide into next year.
Political tensions between the two sides after U.S. legislation
supporting Hong Kong protests have also dulled the mood.
"With the ebb and flow of developments around trade, we are
seeing investors taking a pause," said Matt Hanna, Portfolio
Manager at Summit Global Investments. "The bigger concern right
now is whether they are going to get a trade deal done or not."
Chipmakers with a large revenue exposure to China were down,
with the Philadelphia Semiconductor index .SOX falling 0.7%.
At 10:19 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was down 76.37 points, or 0.3%, at 27,744.72, the S&P 500 .SPX
was down 9.64 points, or 0.3%, at 3,098.82. The Nasdaq Composite
.IXIC was down 23.84 points, or 0.3%, at 8,502.89.
In a bright spot, shares in TD Ameritrade Holding Corp
AMTD.O jumped 17% after CNBC reported bigger rival Charles
Schwab Corp SCHW.N was in talks to buy the discount brokerage.
Schwab's shares gained 7.4%. Macy's Inc M.N slipped 2.4% after the department store
operator cut its full-year profit forecast, blaming weak
international tourism and sluggish mall traffic. Tiffany & Co TIF.N gained 2.8% as Reuters reported LVMH
LVMH.PA persuaded the jewelry chain to allow it to access its
books after the French luxury group raised its bid to about $16
billion.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.90-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and for a 1.59-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 10 new 52-week highs and two new
lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 32 new highs and 48 new lows.