US Stocks Down Slightly as Tensions With China Rise

A man looks at signs of a closed store due to COVID-19 in Niles, Ill., May 21, 2020.

Wall Street closed down slightly Thursday amid rising tensions between the United States and China.

The Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were all down a fraction.

Major indexes in London, Frankfurt and Paris all fell about 1%, and Asian markets closed mostly lower.

Analysts cite increasing tensions between the U.S. and China over the coronavirus outbreak for Thursday's sluggish performance.

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that "Chinese incompetence" when the outbreak began in December had caused a "mass worldwide killing."

But U.S. stocks are still up 3% for the week following Monday's rally on optimistic news about a potential coronavirus vaccine.