Stocks Opened Slightly Lower

U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday, as investors assessed President Donald Trump’s first major policy stumble. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 10.71 points, or 0.05%, to 20,540.27. The S&P 500 dipped 3.00 points, or 0.13%, to 2,338.59. The Nasdaq Composite slid 7.96 points, or 0.14%, to 5,832.42.

U.S. house prices roared to their highest in nearly three years as demand remains hot, especially in the west. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index rose 5.7% in the three-month period ending in January compared to the same period a year ago, an acceleration from its 5.5% yearly increase in December. The 20-city index was up 0.2% for the month, or a 0.9% gain when seasonally adjusted.

An early look at U.S. trade patterns in February shows a nearly 6% drop in the nation’s trade deficit, reversing a big increase in the prior month. The trade gap in goods—services are excluded—fell to $64.8 billion in February from $68.8 billion in January, the government said Tuesday in its advanced report. The full report will be released next week.

The billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that he’s preparing to launch Neuralink, a new venture that the Wall Street Journal reported would focus on “neural lace.” According to the report, the new technology could link human brains with computers, without a physical connection, by implanting tiny electrodes into the brain. It could enhance memory and cognitive powers by effectively merging human and artificial intelligence.

Amazon purchased the Middle East’s biggest online retailer, Souq.com, on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, a day after a state-backed firm disclosed an $800-million counteroffer. That could put Seattle-based Amazon in a head-to-head competition with a firm helmed by one of the sheikhdom’s favored business magnates.

Tencent, Asia’s second highest valued tech firm, has bought a five percent share in Tesla. According to a filing, the Chinese firm scooped up 8,167,544 shares for around $1.7 billion to become one of Tesla’s largest shareholders