S&P 500 finishes flat; smaller company stocks notch gains

Major U.S. stock indexes ended mixed Monday as large companies gave up early gains and smaller companies closed broadly higher.

The S&P 500 ended virtually flat as losses in technology and health care stocks outweighed gains in financials and other sectors. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks, which has lagged the S&P 500 this year, outpaced the rest of the market.

Investors are taking a shine to smallercompany stocks in hopes that they’ll be better shielded from the fallout of the costly trade war between the U.S. and China than large multinationals.

“If you’re making your product or service in the U.S. and selling it to U.S. customers, you’re somewhat more insulated from the global trade volatility and the slower growth that’s spawning from that globally, too,” said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer at EventShares.

The S&P 500 inched 0.28 points lower, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,978.43. The index, which has finished higher the past two weeks, is within 1.6 percent of its alltime high set in late July.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 38.05 points, or 0.1 percent, to 26,835.51. The Nasdaq fell 15.64 points, or 0.2 percent, to 8,087.44. The Russell 2000 climbed 19.06 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,524.23.

The broader market has bounced back the past two weeks following a bout of volatility brought on by the trade war as Washington and Beijing imposed new tariffs on more of each other’s imported goods. Investors worry the escalation of tariffs may be dampening global economic growth and threatening to nudge the United States into a recession.

Traders are hoping for a deal between the world’s two largest economies and were encouraged last week by news that talks will resume in October.

A mixed bag of economic data has also kept Wall Street focused on central banks and whether they will continue taking measures to shore up economic growth. On Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank doesn’t expect a recession and will take necessary actions to maintain growth.

Economists expect the Fed to cut interest rates when it meets next week. Separately, the European Central Bank is expected to unveil new monetary stimulus measures on Thursday to help shore up the region’s economy.

U.S. stock indexes appeared set to extend their gains from last week in early trading Monday, led by gains in banks and communications companies. But the momentum faded by midmorning and the major indexes veered between small gains and losses the rest of the day.

At the same time, the Russell 2000 continued to climb. It’s 13 percent gain yeartodate is still far behind the 18.8 percent increase in the S&P 500. That’s one reason why the smallercompany stocks are looking attractive right now.

“People are rotating out of the more expensive stuff, some of the things that are probably risky in a downturn, like tech, and going into some more traditional value,” Phillips said.