Stocks on hold as investors await start of next round of trade talks Stocks were lower in early trade following a Bloomberg report that said Chinese officials are increasingly reluctant to agree to a broad trade deal and don't plan to offer any concessions regarding industrial subsidies when face-to-face talks start up again later this week. The averages have recovered and turned slightly positive, however, as investors seem at this point to be biding their time until the trade talks resume and more substantial progress, or a lack thereof, gets proven out. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., data on consumer credit growth in August is due out at 3 pm ET. The White House confirmed that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will welcome a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He for continued trade negotiations between the two countries starting on October 10. "The two sides will look to build on the deputy-level talks of the past weeks. Topics of discussion will include forced technology transfer, intellectual property rights, services, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, and enforcement," the White House's statement said. The confirmation came after Bloomberg's Shawn Donnan and Jenny Leonard reported that Liu He expressed to dignitaries in Beijing that the offer from his side this week will not commit to reforms of industrial policy or changes to government subsidies. TOP NEWS: Shares of General Motors (GM) are flat near midday, recovering from their earlier lows, following news that the automaker and the United Auto Workers have hit a roadblock in contract talks. The New York Times' Neal Boudette reports, citing two people familiar with the matter, said the union has pressed GM to shift production of some sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks from Mexican factories in order to create and secure jobs in domestic plants. General Electric (GE) announced that it is taking three actions related to its U.S. retirement benefits - including freezing the pension plan for approximately 20,000 U.S. employees with salaried benefits, offering lump-sum payments to some eligible former employees and pre-funding approximately $4B-$5B of estimated minimum ERISA funding requirements - that are expected to reduce GE's pension deficit by approximately $5B-$8B and Industrial net debt by approximately $4B-$6B. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA), which rose 32% after it announced a licensing agreement with Pfizer (PFE) for AKCEA-ANGPTL3-L. Also higher was Livongo Health (LVGO), which gained 15% after the company was awarded a diabetes contract through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program that SVB Leerink analyst Daniel Grosslight called "larger than expected." Among the notable losers was Intersect ENT (XENT), which slid 10% after reporting that the company's ASCEND investigational drug-coated sinus balloon study did not meet its primary endpoint. Also lower was HEXO Corp. (HEXO), which fell 4% following the company's announcement after Friday's close that CFO Michael Monahan has resigned. BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Christopher Carey downgraded the stock to Underperform from Buy based on the news, stating that he thinks the corporate finance organization was less developed than Monahan had realized, and likely indicates there is much work ahead. INDEXES: Near midday, the Dow was up 17.82, or 0.07%, to 26,591.54, the Nasdaq was up 12.39, or 0.16%, to 7,994.86, and the S&P 500 was up 1.93, or 0.07%, to 2,953.94. Symbols: $GM $GE $AKCA $PFE $LVGO $XENT $HEXOSource: (thefly.com)Disclosure: I may trade in the ticker symbols mentioned, both long or short. My articles represent my personal opinion and analysis and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers should do their own research before making decisions to buy or sell securities. Trading and investing include risks, including loss of principal. If you liked this article, please click the LIKE (thumbs up) button. Feel free to leave any comments, question, or opinions. (Sign-up if you haven't already done so). Follow us/bookmark us and check back occasionally for additional articles or comments on our page... Wild Tiger Trading - start/main page.