US STOCKS-Wall Street inches lower as year-end record rally cools off

(For a live blog on the U.S. stock market, click LIVE/ or
type LIVE/ in a news window)
* Wall St drops despite Trump's tweet that Phase 1 deal on
Jan. 15
* Consumer confidence slips in December
* S&P 500 set for best year since 2013
* Indexes fall: Dow 0.19%, S&P 0.16%, Nasdaq 0.02%

(Adds comment; updates prices)
By Manas Mishra
Dec 31 (Reuters) - Wall Street dipped in thin trading on the
last day of the decade as a year-end rally powered by optimism
around trade and an improving global outlook fizzled out, though
the S&P 500 was still on course for its best year since 2013.
The Dow Jones was on track for its second straight day of
declines, shrugging off President Donald Trump's tweet that a
Phase 1 U.S-China trade deal would be signed on Jan. 15 at the
White House, and that he would later travel to Beijing to begin
negotiations on the next phase. "It's getting to the point where I feel like Phase 1 is
becoming more and more priced in," said Keith Buchanan,
portfolio manager at GLOBALT in Atlanta.
A relatively loose monetary policy by the Federal Reserve
and upbeat economic indicators have put the S&P 500 on track for
its best December in nine years.
The three major indexes posted their biggest one-day
declines in about four weeks on Monday, in the absence of major
updates on trade, and as investors booked profits.
"With Phase 1 looking to be in the rear view mirror in the
earlier part of January, we could go back to the same place
where we are trying to figure out where things go from here as
we look at a Phase 2 deal," Buchanan added.
On Tuesday, eight of the 11 S&P 500 .SPX sectors were in
the red, with healthcare .SPXHC among the top drags.
Schlumberger NV SLB.N and Baker Hughes Co BKR.N were
among the top percentage decliners on the S&P, tracking lower
oil prices. O/R
At 12:11 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was down 54.89 points, or 0.19%, at 28,407.25, the S&P 500
.SPX was down 5.29 points, or 0.16%, at 3,216.00. The Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC was down 1.75 points, or 0.02%, at 8,944.24.
Data showed a reading of the U.S. consumer confidence index
was 126.5 in December, compared with a revised 126.8 in
November. Among sparse individual movers, U.S.-listed shares of
Tencent Music Entertainment Group TME.N rose 1.4% after a
consortium led by the China-based company agreed to buy a stake
in Vivendi's Universal Music Group. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 1.45-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and a 1.53-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded three new 52-week highs and no new
low, while the Nasdaq recorded 62 new highs and 17 new lows.