*

Indexes: Dow flat, S&P 500 down 0.06%, Nasdaq slips 0.13%

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Trump to host Zelenskiy, EU leaders to push Russia peace

deal

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Solar stocks rise on 'milder' subsidy rules

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Dayforce ( DAY ) surges on Thoma Bravo acquisition talks

(Updates to after markets open)

By Johann M Cherian and Sanchayaita Roy

Aug 18 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were

subdued on Monday, in a quiet start to a week packed with

corporate earnings reports from major retailers and the Federal

Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole.

Investors also remained wary ahead of a meeting between U.S.

President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy on

Kyiv's conflict with Moscow. Trump has told Ukraine to give up

hopes of getting back annexed Crimea or joining NATO, but will

push for a peace deal with Russia.

Wall Street's main indexes rallied over the past two weeks,

with the blue-chip Dow hitting an intra-day record high

on Friday, aided by interest rate cut expectations and a

better-than-expected earnings season despite an uncertain trade

environment.

Investors will closely monitor reports from Walmart ( WMT ),

Home Depot ( HD ) and Target ( TGT ) among others, which are

expected this week, to determine how trade uncertainty and

inflation expectations have affected U.S. consumers.

Data on Friday showed that while retail sales were

increasing broadly as anticipated, consumer sentiment overall

had taken a hit from mounting inflation fears.

"A lot of orders were pulled forward from a lot of retailers

and companies that are producing products. So from an earnings

standpoint, most likely they're going to be in line and if there

is a beat, it might be slight," said Michael Matousek, head

trader at U.S. Global Investors.

At 09:55 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average

fell 2.15 points to 44,943.97, the S&P 500 lost 3.83

points, or 0.06%, to 6,445.97 and the Nasdaq Composite

lost 28.59 points, or 0.13%, to 21,594.39.

Seven of the 11 S&P 500 sectors edged up, with healthcare

stocks leading with a 0.5% rise as UnitedHealth ( UNH )

gained 2.3%, building on its nearly 12% jump in the previous

session.

Investors continue to price in a 25-basis-point cut from the

Federal Reserve next month, although they have lowered their

expectations for another rate cut this year, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

Recent data have also suggested that while U.S. tariffs have

not filtered into headline consumer prices yet, weakness in the

jobs market could nudge the central bank to take a more dovish

stance.

Markets hope that the Fed's Jackson Hole, Wyoming conference

between August 21 and 23, where Chair Jerome Powell is expected

to speak, could offer more clarity on the economic outlook and

the central bank's policy framework.

On the trade front, the Trump administration widened the

reach of its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by adding

hundreds of derivative products to the list of goods subject to

the levies.

Dayforce ( DAY ) surged the most in the S&P 500 index, up

25.4% after a report said PE firm Thoma Bravo is in talks to

acquire the HR management software firm.

Solar stocks such as SunRun ( RUN ) jumped 7.2% and First

Solar ( FSLR ) gained 6.2% after the U.S. Treasury Department

unveiled new federal tax subsidy rules for solar and wind

projects.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.41-to-1 ratio

on the NYSE and by a 1.4-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted five new 52-week highs and two new lows,

while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 54 new highs and 35 new

lows.

(Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Sanchayaita Roy in

Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)