Indices closed in record territory on Monday, with the Consumer Staples sector stocks among the best performers on the day, while the Energy sector lagged. Sentiment was likely influenced by an interest-rate cut in China and continued trade negotiations. Tuesday’s session was mixed, led by the Healthcare and Financial sectors, which offset some weakness in Basic Materials. In economic news, Housing Starts rose to 1.32 million units, annualized, for October, beating consensus estimates. Indices closed in the red zone on Wednesday, slipping on news of a potential delay in the U.S.-China trade deal. The market action was more of a drifting down versus a major selloff, as stocks turned in a lackluster performance with no economic data releases for the day. The market slip continued Thursday, with stocks dipping on a variety of economic news. The Labor Department reported weekly initial jobless claims remained at a five-month high for the week ended Nov. 16 at 227,000. Indices closed in the green zone on Friday, with stocks ticking up as President Trump said a U.S.-China trade agreement is "potentially very close." On a final note, consumer confidence increased in November. The University of Michigan's final reading climbed to 96.8 this month from 95.5 in October. The result exceeded expectations of 95.7.