US equity markets logged muted gains as fresh weakness for the technology sector offset some renewed optimism on the US-China trade front - Dow up +28-points or +0.11% albeit paring an earlier advance of ~175-points, with trade bellwethers Boeing Co (up +2.4%) and Caterpillar Inc (1.6%) the biggest positive contributors. Citigroup Inc rallied +% after upbeat presentation at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference. The broader S&P500 inched +0.04% higher, with Technology (down -0.5%), Financials (-0.8%) and Utilities (-0.1%) capping broader gains. The technology-centric NASDAQ lost -0.23%. Apple Inc fell -1.2%, with the company announcing the 5.8-inch iPhone XS and the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max at its launch event in Cupertino, California., along with its new Apple Watch Series 4, which will come in 40-millimeter and 44-millimeter sizes. Snap Inc tumbled -7% after a brokerage house cut their target price on the company to US$11 from US$14, noting poor user trends. On the trade front, major newswires reported that the US has reached out to China for follow-up talks after negotiations last month concluded without results.
