Wall Street closes with modest gains, dollar weakens as trade tensions flare

A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York City

NEW YORK: Wall Street ended a choppy session higher on Monday and the dollar softened as trade tensions between Washington and Beijing heated up and investors showed caution ahead of U.S. employment data and a widely expected policy rate cut from the European Central Bank.

The S&P 500 notched a modest advance, while tech boosted the Nasdaq to a more substantial gain. The blue-chip Dow ended the session barely in positive territory.