Stocks Edged Lower in Early Trading

U.S. stocks edged lower in the early trading on Tuesday, as investors await job openings and wholesale inventories due at 10 a.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 30.69 points, or 0.19%, to 16,387.99. The S&P 500 was down 3.87 points, or 0.21%, at 1,873.30. The Nasdaq Composite was down 5.62 points, or 0.13%, at 4,328.83.

IHH Healthcare Bhd. (IHH), Asia’s biggest hospital operator, is weighing a bid of as much as A$5 billion ($4.5 billion) for Healthscope Ltd., the Australian health-care provider owned by TPG Capital and Carlyle (CG) Group LP, said two people familiar with the matter.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Tuesday defended the bank’s forward-guidance framework on interest rates, saying it has contributed to the strength of the labor market.

Mt. Gox Co., the bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo after millions of dollars’ worth of virtual currency vanished from customer accounts, won a temporary halt to lawsuits it faces in the U.S.

Teen apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc (AEO.N) forecast earnings for the current quarter that fell short of analysts’ expectations, saying a severe winter had hurt demand.