Stocks Flat amid Mixed Trade Developments

U.S. stocks were little changed in the early trading on Friday, with the investors assessing conflicting narratives on progress in Sino-American trade talks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately edged up 0.29 point, to 27,675.09. The S&P 500 fell 1.12 points, or 0.04%, to 3,084.06. The Nasdaq Composite added 3.49 points, or 0.04%, to 8,438.00.

Oil futures slumped Friday as skepticism around a rollback of tariffs in China-U.S. trade talks eroded bullish sentiment on crude prices. West Texas Intermediate crude for December delivery fell 85 cents, or 1.5%, to $56.30 a barrel. January Brent crude shed 91 cents, or 1.5%, to $61.38 a barrel.