NEW YORK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded on a downbeat note on Friday as investors digested a slew of economic data amid trade concerns.
At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 35.31 points, or 0.14 percent, to 26,110.68. The S&P 500 was down 4.01 points, or 0.14 percent, to 2,900.17. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 14.83 points, or 0.19 percent, to 7,998.88.
All three major indices erased early gains as concerns over trade frictions between Washington and its key trading partners continued to weigh on the market, experts noted.
Apple stock traded more than 1.5 percent lower around midday after a strong previous session.
Chevron and American Express were among the winners. Shares of both companies rose about 1 percent.
Wall Street also paid close attention to the latest data.
U.S. retail sales increased 0.1 percent in August from the previous month, the Department of Commerce said on Friday. It is the smallest gain in six months, missing market forecasts of 0.4-percent rise.
Meanwhile, U.S. import prices declined 0.6 percent in August, following a 0.1-percent decrease the previous month, according to statistics from the Labor Department.
Falling prices for both fuel and nonfuel imports contributed to the August decline, it said. Prices for U.S. exports edged down 0.1 percent, after decreasing 0.5 percent in July. Enditem
