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* U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods could be delayed - SCMP
* TD Ameritrade surges as Schwab in talks to buy company -
* Tiffany gains as LVMH raises bid, gets access to books
* Indexes down: Dow 0.3%, S&P 0.3%, Nasdaq 0.4%
(Updates comment, prices)
By Manas Mishra and Uday Sampath Kumar
Nov 21 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on
Thursday after conflicting headlines on U.S.-China trade
relations and a row between the world's top two economies over
the Hong Kong protest added to doubts whether a deal could be
reached by the end of this year.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign legislation
passed by Congress backing protesters in Hong Kong, despite
delicate trade talks with Beijing. "The market is recognizing that this tariff tiff is going to
remain in place ... for a very long time because there are just
some extraordinary philosophical differences," said Hugh
Anderson, managing director at HighTower Advisors in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Stocks had opened flat after a report that the United States
could delay tariffs on Chinese imports even if a deal was not
reached by Dec. 15, when tariffs kick in on goods including
items such as electronics and Christmas decorations.
All three indexes have hit a series of record highs this
month, rallying on optimism around a "phase one" trade deal and
a largely better-than-expected earnings season.
At 11:44 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was down 84.77 points, or 0.30%, at 27,736.32, the S&P 500
.SPX was down 9.17 points, or 0.30%, at 3,099.29. The Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC was down 31.09 points, or 0.36%, at 8,495.65.
The tech sector was the biggest drag on the S&P, while
energy was one of the two sectors in the positive as oil prices
rose on hopes that OPEC and its allies were likely to extend
output cuts until mid-2020. Shares in TD Ameritrade Holding Corp AMTD.O surged 21%
after CNBC reported bigger rival Charles Schwab Corp SCHW.N
was in talks to buy the discount brokerage. Schwab's shares
gained 8%. Tiffany & Co TIF.N gained about 3% after a Reuters report
that LVMH LVMH.PA persuaded the jewelry chain to allow it to
access its books following a raised bid.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 2.17-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and for a 1.64-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 10 new 52-week highs and three new
lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 38 new highs and 68 new lows.