Stocks have barely moved on Wall Street, with the market held captive to the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China.
Weakening economic data from China and Germany also weighed on confidence.
Technology shares led the stocks in decline — Cisco Systems dropped nearly 8 per cent after warning of a decline in revenue because of lower demand for its computer network parts amid the trade war.
However, Walmart shares reached a record high after strong sales growth and profit for the quarter.
The Dow Jones closed down just 0.01 per cent at 27,781.
The S&P 500 was 0.1 per cent higher at 3,097.
Yesterday both indices hit record highs after the head of the US Federal Reserve gave an upbeat assessment of the US economy.
Data out overnight showed US producer prices rose by the most in six months, but claims for unemployment benefits also increased to a five-month high.
In London, the FTSE 100 index lost 0.8 per cent to 7,293.
Spot gold rose to $US1,471 an ounce.
Oil prices were mixed with Brent crude falling to $US62.29 a barrel.
The Australian dollar had dropped to 67.8 US cents on the prospect of another cut in interest rates after very weak jobs numbers released yesterday.
