FRO - Stocks Little Changed as Volatile August Ends

Stocks were little changed on Friday as investors took a breather following a wild month of trading.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a dipsy-doodle kind of day, but ending on the plus side by 41.03 to finish at 26,403.28, for a gain on the week of more than 3%. The 30-stock Dow rallied more than 150 points earlier Friday amid optimism around U.S.-China trade relations.

The S&P 500 dipped 1.88 points to 2,926.46, for a gain on the week of 2.8%.

The NASDAQ Composite slumped 10.51 points to 7,962.88 Friday, but still claimed progress for the week of 2.7%.

The major indexes posted their worst monthly performance since May. The Dow fell 1.7% in August while the S&P 500 lost 1.8%. The NASDAQ pulled back 2.6%. U.S.-China trade relations intensified this month, rattling investors.

Among the firms declaring earnings today, Jinko Solar gained $1.68, or 8.3%, to $21.87, while Frontline demurred 18 cents, or 2.1%, to $8.51.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that U.S. and Chinese negotiators are maintaining "effective communication” as the two countries try to strike a trade deal.

The report follows comments from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Thursday that hinted China will not escalate for now the trade war with the U.S. President Donald Trump also said that some trade discussions had taken place on Thursday, with more scheduled over the coming weeks.

Recent U.S. economic data has been strong. U.S. consumer spending rose 0.6% in July, the Commerce Department said Friday, topping an economist estimate of 0.5%. Meanwhile, consumer confidence remains near its highest level in nearly 20 years.

Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury regained lost ground, lowering yields back to Thursday's 1.50%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions

Oil prices faded $1.63 to $55.08 U.S. a barrel.

Gold prices fell $4.50 to $1,532.40 U.S. an ounce.