Stocks Ended Lower amid More Trade Fears

U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday, closing out a second week of losses, as investors weighed a report that the Trump administration is considering potential curbs on U.S. portfolio investments into China.The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 70.87 points or 0.26%, to 26,820.25. The S&P 500 lost 15.83 points, or 0.53%, to 2,961.79. The Nasdaq Composite gave up 91.03 points, or 1.13%, to 7,939.63. For the week, the Dow shed 0.43%, the S&P 500 retreated 1.01%, while the Nasdaq lost 2.19%.

Oil futures finished lower Friday, as news reports tied to Iran sanctions, a cease-fire between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and the U.S. considering limits on investor portfolio flows into China pressured prices. West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery lost 50 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at $55.91 a barrel. For the week, prices for the front-month contract finished 3.8% lower. November Brent crude fell 83 cents, or 1.3%, to $61.91 a barrel, with the contract down 3.7% for the week.

The Trump administration has been discussing ways to curb U.S. portfolio inflows into China, according to Bloomberg News. The administration is reportedly mulling delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges and reducing Americans’ exposure to Chinese investments in government pension funds, according to Bloomberg.