Dow slides 200 points

Stocks slipped on the second-to-last trading day of the year, putting the major indexes on track for their worst performances since the start of the month.

Although Monday has been relatively devoid of news, it has also been devoid of trading volume, which can exacerbate market movements.

However, trade news still managed to make some investors nervous. Chinese state media reported that Vice Premier Liu He was set to sign the “phase one” deal during a visit to Washington this week. But hours later Monday, Trump administration trade adviser Peter Navarro told Fox News the preliminary deal would be signed next week at the earliest.

The Dow fell 200 points, or 0.7%, around mid-morning. The broader S&P 500 was down 0.6%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was 0.9% lower.

All three indexes are on track for their worst days since December 3.