LIVE MARKETS-Deal or no deal? US stocks standing pat ahead trade talks

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DEAL OR NO DEAL? U.S. STOCKS STANDING PAT AHEAD OF TRADE TALKS

Wall Street's main indexes are mixed with just modest changes early on Tuesday as investors await possible negotiations between the United States and its trading partners for more clarity on the tariff war that has roiled financial markets for months.

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to speak this week, the White House said on Monday, days after Trump accused China of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by Wednesday as officials seek to accelerate talks with multiple partners ahead of a self-imposed deadline in just five weeks, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners seen by Reuters.

On the data front, April factory orders month-over-month came in at -3.7% vs a -3.1% estimate. The April job openings and labor turnover survey (JOLTS) came in at 7.391 million vs a 7.1 million estimate.

With this, the S&P 500 index .SPX is churning around unchanged on the day.

Under the surface, chip stocks .SOX are showing strength, while gold shares .HUI are among weaker groups.

Here is a snapshot of where markets stood around 10:08 a.m. ET:

(Terence Gabriel)

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