ASX to edge down; US open to trade deal with China

News Snapshot:

The ASX is set to edge up slightly as Wall Street drifted in a rare quiet day for financial markets after a morning of gains and losses. The S & P 500 was down by 0.1% in late trading. The Dow was down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower. That’s even as results from big banks showed an equity-trading boon and signs of still-healthy consumers and businesses across America. Citigroup topped analysts’ expectations, and its stock rose 3.2%. Palantir Technologies climbed 6.3% for a second day of gains after NATO said it would use the company’s artificial-intelligence capabilities...