Stocks turned briefly higher, but then lost steam, after President Donald Trump said he and China’s leader agreed to resume talks on trade shortly.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting ahead of Friday’s highly anticipated jobs report.

The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 2:06 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.

Stocks had been flip-flopping in the morning but turned higher briefly after President Donald Trump said he had “a very good phone call” with China’s leader, Xi Jinping , about trade and that “their respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined.”

It signals an easing of tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Both sides

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