US STOCKS-Wall St pares losses as Trump signals tariff flexibility

By Pranav Kashyap and Johann M Cherian

March 21 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main stock indexes traded shy of their session lows on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted there would be some flexibility regarding tariffs, ahead of the reciprocal duties he is expected to impose early next month.

Trump also mentioned plans to discuss the tariff situation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a time when the U.S. is at a trade war with the country.

Markets have been jolted by Trump's shifting trade policies, creating uncertainty for corporate investment and the economy.

Investors are now awaiting the U.S. president's detailed plans on the reciprocal and sector-specific tariffs.

Against this backdrop, companies have been altering their forecasts, with FedEx FDX.N being the latest firm to cut its annual projections. The stock fell 8.11%.

Peer UPS UPS.N lost 2.6%. Delivery firms are often seen as a barometer for the global economy given their involvement in a wide range of industries.

The delivery companies weighed on the Dow Jones Transport Index .DJT, which is often seen as a gauge of U.S. economic health. The index fell 1.1% and has lost over 18% from its November all-time peak.

Also weighing on the Transport index were airlines such as Delta DAL.N and United UAL.N after Britain's Heathrow Airport was shut , sparking global travel turmoil.

Nike NKE.N slid 5.1% after the sports apparel maker projected a sharper decline in fourth-quarter revenue than analysts had anticipated.

Materials .SPLRCM led declines among the 11 S&P 500 sectors with a 1.6% drop, dragged down by Nucor Corp NUE.N after the company forecast first-quarter profit below estimates.

"People are sitting on their hands ... markets are going to remain in this churning until we have positive policy catalysts and we don't see those coming until August or September," said Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

In an interview, Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee noted that the current conditions could "maybe" shock the economy.

Separately, New York Fed President John Williams reiterated the U.S. central bank's monetary policy stance, given the uncertainty.

At 12:38 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 109.33 points, or 0.26%, to 41,843.99, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 21.12 points, or 0.37%, to 5,641.77 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 21.91 points, or 0.12%, to 17,669.72.

Boeing BA.N jumped 4.8% after a report said Trump awarded the planemaker a contract to build the U.S. Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet.

Friday's session also marks the simultaneous expiry of quarterly derivatives contracts tied to stocks, index options and futures, also known as "triple witching", which added to market volatility.

On a weekly scale, the benchmark S&P 500 index .SPX is on track to mark its fifth-straight week in the red - its longest weekly losing streak since May 2022, if losses hold.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq .IXIC is on track to record its longest weekly losing streak in nearly three years, while the blue-chip Dow .DJI is positioned for marginal gains.

The Dow is about 3% away from confirming a correction - a 10% drop from its record high.

Earlier in the week, the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged, in a widely anticipated move.

Traders see about 70 basis points of rate cuts from the Fed this year, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.58-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.86-to-1 ratio Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted nine new 52-week highs and 16 new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 25 new highs and 163 new lows.