Dow Threatens To Halt 2-session Climb As U.S. Stocks Sink At The Open

U.S. equity indexes opened lower Wednesday on renewed worries about U.S. trade relations and domestic policy, in jeopardy of reversing the previous session's healthy gains. The S&P 500 index traded 0.3% lower at 2,444, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.4% down at 21,821. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.3% to 6,274 after ending producing the sharpest rise of the three major equity benchmarks in the previous session. Late Tuesday, President Donald Trump at a rally in Phoenix said he was willing to risk a government shutdown to ensure funding for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In corporate news, Lowe's Cos. slipped 4.9% following weaker-than-expected earnings for the home-improvement company. Shares of Dow-component Home Depot Inc. , a rival to Lowe's, also fell and was the worst performer among blue-chips in early trade. Separately, London-traded shares of advertising giant WPP PLC tumbled 10.4% as it cut its growth outlook. Salesforce.com Inc. dipped 0.8%, even after reporting better-than-expected earnings late Tuesday.