U.S. stocks closed out August with monthly gains, holding their ground even as jitters around trade negotiations drove investors out of major indexes elsewhere around the world. Investors ended the month much as they began it: weighing questions around the future of U.S. trade policy. Stocks slipped after a report Thursday suggested President Trump was planning to move ahead with tariffs on Chinese imports. Separate reports that the U.S. and Canada were unable to reach a trade deal Friday kept major indexes under pressure, although the S&P 500 erased its losses late in the session after officials said they would resume talks next week. Even as the week's developments added to investors' uneasiness around trade, major indexes held onto their gains for both the week and the month. The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, Russell 2000 and Dow Jones Transportation Average all rose to fresh highs in August. For the month, the Dow industrials rose 2.2%, the S&P 500 notched a 3% gain and the Nasdaq rose 5.7%-its best showing for August in 18 years. Much of the advance was driven by large technology stocks, which rallied in August and extended their gains for the year. Investors were also reassured by upbeat economic data, which showed the U.S. economy grew faster than initially expected in the second quarter and after-tax corporate profits rising at the fastest pace in six years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.10 points, or 0.1%, to 25964.82. The S&P 500 added 0.39 point, or less than 0.1%, to 2901.52 and the Nasdaq Composite edged up 21.17 points, or 0.3%, to 8109.54. The US gold price added 0.1% to record 1,200.80 US$/oz.
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