Progress on the US China trade standoff drove market sentiment last week and equity performance was mixed. President Trump officially delayed the March 1 deadline for a trade deal and claimed “substantial progress” on a range of issues. Stocks rose on the news, but later fell back after chief trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, told a congressional committee that “much still needs to be done” before an agreement could be reached. However, reports late in the week claimed that the US and China could sign the draft of trade deal as early as mid-March. The tech-heavy Nasdaq performed best, while the smaller-cap benchmarks lagged. Volatility rose slightly from its multi-month lows the previous week.