Major US stock indexes finished trading in the red

Major US stock indexes fell slightly on Monday after the unexpected drop in Chinese exports in December, which again raised concerns about a slowdown in the global economy.

The General Administration of Customs of China reported that China’s exports and imports in December showed a decline due to the impact of tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by the United States, as well as weakening domestic demand. China's exports declined by 4.4% per annum after rising 5.4% in November. Economists had expected growth of 2.5%. Imports fell by 7.6% after rising by 3.0% in November and instead of the expected growth of 3.0%. Trade surplus was $ 57.06 billion after $ 44.75 billion in November, with a forecast of $ 51.53 billion. In 2018, China’s exports in dollar terms grew by 9.9% and imports by 15.8%. In addition, the data showed that the trade surplus of China with the United States last year reached a new record, and amounted to $ 323.32 billion, which is 17% more than in 2017. China's exports to the United States in 2018 increased by 11.3%, while imports from the United States increased by 0.7%.

Most of the DOW components recorded a decline (21 out of 30). JPMorgan Chase & Co. was the growth leader. (JPM, + 1.03%). The outsider was Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK, -2.04%).

Almost all sectors of the S & P finished trading in the red. The largest decline was shown by the utility sector (-1.8%). Only the financial sector grew (+ 0.1%),

At the time of closing:

Dow 23,909.84 -86.11 -0.36%

S & P 500 2,582.61 -13.65 -0.53%

Nasdaq 100 6,905.91  -65.56 -0.94%