Stocks Ended Higher ahead of U.S. – China Trade Talks

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday ahead of much-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve trade differences. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 73.38 points, or 0.28%, to 26,599.96. The S&P 500 added 16.84 points, or 0.58%, to 2,941.76. The Nasdaq Composite was up 38.49 points, or 0.48%, to 8,006.24. The Dow is up 7.2% for the month and 14% for the year to date. The S&P 500 is up 6.9% for the month, and 17.4% for the year. The Nasdaq gained 7.4% in June and a 21% advance for this year.

U.S. oil prices settled lower Friday, but gained more than 9% for the month of June. August West Texas Intermediate crude lost 96 cents, or 1.6%, to settle at $58.47 a barrel and prices climbed 9.3% month to date. August Brent crude settled unchanged at $66.55 a barrel and prices on a front-month contract basis were up 3.2% for the month.

Friday also marked the first of two days of the G-20 summit in Japan, with President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping set to meet on Saturday, in what investors hope will be an encounter that lays the groundwork for a future trade deal between the two countries.