Stocks end lower as Trump dents trade deal hopes Stocks were lower from the open after President Donald Trump told reporters in London that it might be better to wait until after the 2020 election to reach a trade deal with China. CNBC quoted the U.S. leader as having said: "In some ways, I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal, but they want to make a deal now and we will see whether or not the deal is going to be right." When asked if he had a deadline for the deal, he added: "I have no deadline, no ... In some ways I think it is better to wait until after the election, if you want to know the truth." The comments stoked trade worries that have been bubbling under the buoyant market for some time, prompting an extension of yesterday's selloff. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In Capitol Hill news, House Democrats have released the Trump impeachment inquiry report, which said "the impeachment inquiry has found that President Trump, personally and acting through agents within and outside of the U.S. government, solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his reelection." COMPANY NEWS: Shares of Dow member UnitedHealth (UNH) finished just over 1% lower after the company held its annual investor conference. In conjunction with the event, UnitedHealth guided to FY19 adjusted EPS "approaching $15.00," which is at the upper end of its latest forecast of $14.90-$15.00. It also guided to FY20 adjusted EPS $16.25-$16.55, compared to consensus of $16.46 per share. In M&A news, Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) announced an agreement to acquire Audentes Therapeutics (BOLD) at a price of $60.00 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of approximately $3B. The offer price represents a premium of 110% to Audentes' closing share price of $28.61 on December 2. Audentes shares closed 106% higher at $58.93 following the deal announcement. Also, Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) announced an agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of AK Steel (AKS) in an all-stock merger transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, Cliffs shareholders will own approximately 68% and AK Steel shareholders will own approximately 32% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully diluted basis. Following the news, AK Steel shares rose 4.1%, while Cleveland-Cliffs shares fell 10.7%. Meanwhile, Amazon (AMZN) said that this year's Cyber Monday was once again "the single biggest shopping day in the company's history," based on the number of items ordered worldwide. The company's Amazon Web Services business also announced several new services and updates during its re:Invent conference, including a partnership with Verizon (VZ) on a new 5G service called Wavelength. Additionally, Reuters reported that Volkswagen's (VWAGY) Wolfsburg headquarters have been raided by German public prosecutors amid an "investigation into diesel cars with engine type EA 288, a successor model to the EA 189 which was at the heart of the test cheating scandal." MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Viewray (VRAY), which surged 30.6% after disclosing collaboration agreements and investments from Elekta (EKTAY) and Medtronic (MDT). Also higher was Lands' End (LE), which gained 21% after reporting quarterly results. Among the notable losers was Cara Therapeutics (CARA), which fell 34.6% after announcing results from its Phase 2 dose-ranging trial of oral Korsuva for the treatment of pruritus in patients with stage III-V chronic kidney disease. Also lower was Peloton (PTON), which slid 9.1% amid backlash to the company's recent U.S. ad campaign, which Raymond James analyst Justin Patterson said is "worth monitoring." INDEXES: The Dow fell 280.23, or 1.01%, to 27,502.81, the Nasdaq lost 47.34, or 0.55%, to 8,520.64, and the S&P 500 declined 20.67, or 0.66%, to 3,093.20. Symbols: $UNH $ALPMY $BOLD $CLF $AKS $AMZN $VZ $VWAGY $VRAY $EKTAY $MDT $LE $CARA $PTONSource: (thefly.com)Disclosure: I may trade in the ticker symbols mentioned, both long or short. My articles represent my personal opinion and analysis and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers should do their own research before making decisions to buy or sell securities. Trading and investing include risks, including loss of principal. If you liked this article, please click the LIKE (thumbs up) button. Feel free to leave any comments, question, or opinions. (Sign-up if you haven't already done so). Follow us/bookmark us and check back occasionally for additional articles or comments on our page... Wild Tiger Trading - start/main page.