Benchmark US equity indices settled flat to down after another choppy session that saw markets fail to regain their footing after the steep falls of the previous session. Oil prices were clobbered - Dow down 100-points or -0.40% The broader S&P500 slipped -0.15%, with the Energy sector (down -%) capping broader gains. At their session peaks both the Dow and S&P500 were up over >1%. NASDAQ flat, unwinding an earlier session rally that saw the technology-centric index up as much as +1.6%. Apple Inc (down -1.0%) moved back into the red in afternoon trading, extending the falls (-4.21%) of the previous session that came after Lumentum Holdings Inc cut its earnings and revenue outlook Monday (12 November), saying it received a request from “one of its largest industrial and consumer customers for laser diodes for 3D sensing” to “materially reduce shipments,” (which many believe is Apple). On the trade front, the Wall Street Journal first reported Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had resumed trade talks. The report comes ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Separately, the South China Morning Post reported. that China's top trade negotiator Liu He could visit Washington to prepare for talks between President Trump and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina later this month.
