Stocks end slightly higher as trade overhang remains Stocks fluctuated and traded on both sides of the flatline during Thursday trading as investors continue to be concerned that the U.S. trade fight with China could derail domestic, and global, growth. Technology shares, which rallied in early trading, saw those gains fade while financials led on the downside ahead of some critical data that is upcoming tomorrow morning from China in the form of the nation's latest official PMI readings. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., Q1 GDP growth was revised down fractionally to a 3.1% pace from the 3.2% gain in the advance report, though the minor revision beat forecasts for a deeper cut. Initial jobless claims rose 3,000 to 215,000 in the week ended May 25. The advance goods trade deficit widened slightly to $72.1B in April, a little more than expected. The pending home sales index fell 1.5% to 104.3 in April, which was a smaller than forecast decline. TOP NEWS: Shares of Dollar General (DG) and Dollar Tree (DLTR) were trading higher following their better than feared quarterly reports. The former reported better than expected Q1 sales and profits and backed its full-year view, sending its shares up 7.2%. Though the latter matched earnings expectations and lowered its fiscal-year forecast, that was still good enough to drive a 3.1% advance. PVH Corp. (PVH) shares fell 14.9% following Q1 results from the parent of the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein brands. PVH cut its full-year outlook, with CEO Emanuel Chirico stating in an interview afterward that there is "no walking away from the fact" that the consumer is feeling pressure both in the U.S. and China. In M&A news, CNBC's David Faber reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the board of CBS (CBS) is readying for merger talks with Viacom (VIA, VIAB). The talks are expected to start in mid-June, but could start even sooner, according to Faber's sources. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that T-Mobile (TMUS) and Sprint (S) are considering the divestiture of certain airwaves to gain Justice Department approval of their proposed tie-up. The proposal has drawn interest from Comcast (CMCSA) and Charter (CHTR), the report added. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Aramark (ARMK), which rose 6.6% after Reuters reported that Mantle Ridge is exploring making a possible takeover bid for the company. Also higher were Veeva (VEEV) and Keysight (KEYS), which gained a respective 14.7% and 11.3% after reporting quarterly results. Among the notable losers was Palo Alto Networks (PANW), which slid 5.1% after it reported quarterly results, provided downbeat Q4 guidance, and announced that it agreed to acquire Twistlock and PureSec. Also lower after reporting quarterly results was SemTech (SMTC), which fell 7.1%. INDEXES: The Dow rose 43.47, or 0.17%, to 25,169.88, the Nasdaq gained 20.41, or 0.27%, to 7,567.72, and the S&P 500 advanced 5.84, or 0.21%, to 2,788.86. Symbols: $DG $DLTR $PVH $CBS $VIA $VIAB $TMUS $S $CMCSA $CMCSK $CHTR $ARMK $VEEV $KEYS $PANW $SMTCSource: (thefly.com)