The S&P 500 and the Dow slipped while the Nasdaq posted a slim gain on Thursday as investors struggled to square grim retail sales data with hopes that high-level talks in Beijing could resolve the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute. Paring earlier losses, the S&P 500 held above its 200-day moving average, a key technical level, for the third straight session. All three major U.S. stock indexes were held back by rate-sensitive financial stocks as U.S. Treasury yields fell on the weaker-than-expected economic data. Talks to defuse the ongoing tariff dispute between the world's two largest economies moved to a higher level as U.S.-China negotiations progressed in Beijing ahead of the March 1 deadline. But trade optimism was undercut by a report from the U.S. Commerce Department showing retail sales in December suffered their biggest drop in more than nine years, stoking fears of an economic slowdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 103.88 points, or 0.41 percent, to 25,439.39, the S&P 500 lost 7.3 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,745.73 and the Nasdaq Composite added 6.58 points, or 0.09 percent, to 7,426.96. --More 03:18 LOCAL TIME 00:18 GMT 0034 www.spa.gov.sa/1886007