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* S&P, Dow set for third straight session of losses
* U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could be delayed - SCMP
* Energy shares up, tracking oil prices
* TD Ameritrade surges as Schwab in talks to buy company -
* Indexes down: Dow 0.03%, S&P 0.08%, Nasdaq 0.22%
(Updates prices)
By Manas Mishra and Uday Sampath Kumar
Nov 21 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Dow indexes treaded water
on Thursday as mixed headlines on U.S-China trade relations and
a diplomatic row over the Hong Kong protests added to
uncertainty over the timing of a "phase one" deal.
Trade talks came under pressure late on Wednesday when the
U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills to back
protesters in Hong Kong and send a warning to China about human
rights, a measure which angered Beijing.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign them into law.
"The market is recognizing that this tariff tiff is going to
remain in place ... for a very long time because there are just
some extraordinary philosophical differences," said Hugh
Anderson, managing director at HighTower Advisors in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Stocks recovered from the previous session to open flat,
helped by a report that the United States could delay tariffs
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 S&P 500 and Dow were set for their longest run of losses
since early August, while the Nasdaq was on course for its
biggest two-day fall in over a month.
All three major indexes have hit a series of record highs
this month, rallying on optimism around a "phase one" trade deal
and a largely better-than-expected earnings season.
At 1:01 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was down 8.55 points, or 0.03%, at 27,812.54, the S&P 500 .SPX
was down 2.45 points, or 0.08%, at 3,106.01. The tech-heavy
Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was down 18.35 points, or 0.22%, at
8,508.38.
The tech sector was the biggest drag on the benchmark index,
while the energy sector was among the few in the positive as oil
prices rose on hopes that the OPEC and its allies were likely to
extend output cuts until mid-2020. Shares in TD Ameritrade Holding Corp AMTD.O surged 21%
after CNBC reported bigger rival Charles Schwab Corp SCHW.N
was in talks to buy the discount brokerage. Schwab's shares
gained 8%. Tiffany & Co TIF.N gained about 3% after a Reuters report
that LVMH LVMH.PA persuaded the jewelry chain to allow it to
access its books following a raised bid.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.52-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and for a 1.28-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 10 new 52-week highs and three new
lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 41 new highs and 74 new lows.