Morning Report 12 Feb 19: Investors tread warily ahead of trade talks

US sharemarkets were weaker on Monday. Investors were focussed on US-China trade talks. There is also the prospect of another US government shutdown on Friday. Investors also will digest earnings this week. About 71% of the S&P 500 companies that have reported fourth-quarter earnings have topped estimates, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. But analysts' estimates for first-quarter earnings have turned negative for the first time since 2016. With an hour of trade to go the Dow Jones index was down by 80 points or 0.3%. The S&P500 index was down by 0.1%. And the Nasdaq index was weaker by 5 points or 0.1%.

 

 

 

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