US stocks hit pause as trade doubts linger

US stocks faltered in early trading on Friday, amid cautious trading due to uncertainty over the details about the US-China trade talks and long-awaited trade deal.

China's Ministry of Commerce stated yesterday that the trade talks with the US are witnessing further progress, and added that the first phase of the trade deal would be signed within the next few weeks.

Several news agencies also reported that Washington and Beijing are moving forward to the removal of tariffs on each other's goods, which signals a potential end for the trade war.

However, the White House top trade adviser Peter Navarro said that there is no agreement yet between the US and China, which sparked doubts about the recent positive statements.

As for stocks, Dow slipped less than 0.1% or 4 points to 27,665, and S&P 500 lost half a point to 3,084 points, while Nasdaq gained 4 points to 8,439.