Stocks Opened Lower as Trade War Fears Escalated

U.S. stocks opened lower on Friday, weighed down by fears of an escalating trade conflict between the United States and China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 6.77 points, or 0.31%, to 24,428.45. The S&P 500 lost 7.90 points, or 0.30%, to 2,654.94. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 11.57 points, or 0.16%, to 7,064.99.

Oil futures traded lower early Friday as a trade dispute between the Washington and Beijing ratcheted higher. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 43 cents, or 0.7%, at $63.11 a barrel. Brent crude retreated 41 cents, or 0.6%, at $67.92 a barrel.

US economy added 103,000 jobs in March to mark the smallest increase since last fall and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1% for the sixth-straight month, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.