Stocks Ended Slightly Lower, Oil Settled Higher

U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Friday as escalating trade anxieties driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats against China offset a string of robust earnings led by Microsoft Corp. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 6.38 points, or 0.03%, to 25,058.12. The S&P 500 lost 2.66 points, or 0.09%, to 2,801.83. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.10 points, or 0.07%, to 7,820.20. For the week, the Dow eked out a 0.2% gains, the S&P 500 was flat and the Nasdaq was also flat.

Oil futures settled higher Friday, as Saudi Arabia said it expects to reduce exports in August, easing some concerns of coming oversupply in the market. August West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1, or 1.4%, to settle at $70.46 a barrel, but was still down 0.8% from last Friday’s finish. September Brent crude settled at $73.07 a barrel, up 49 cents, or 0.7%. It marked a weekly loss of about 3%.