Stocks Ended Little Changed, S&P 500 Eked out Record Close

U.S. stocks ended little changed on Thursday, with the S&P 500 eking out record close, Dow and Nasdaq edging lower, as hopes that the U.S. and China would soon finalize a trade agreement began to fade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.63 points, or 0.01%, to 27,781.96. The S&P 500 added 2.59 points, or 0.08%, to 3,096.63. The Nasdaq Composite declined 3.08 points, or 0.04%, to 8,479.02.

Oil futures finished lower on Thursday after a U.S. government report revealed that domestic crude inventories rose a third straight week. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for December delivery fell by 35 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $56.77 a barrel. January Brent crude lost 9 cents, or 0.1%, to end at $62.28 a barrel.