Stocks Opened Lower after Record Highs

U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday, after two-straight days of record highs, as investors booked profits ahead of a clutch of economic data this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately was up 4.36 points, or 0.02%, to 22,646.03. The S&P 500 lost 2.11 points, or 0.08%, to 2,532.47. the Nasdaq Composite dropped 13.73 points, or 0.21%, to 6,517.98.

Crude-oil prices traded slightly lower early Wednesday, amid worries that OPEC members are not fully complying with a key production-cut agreement. November West Texas Intermediate was down 22 cents, or 0.4%, at $50.24 a barrel. December Brent crude fell 26 cents, or 0.5%, to $55.75 a barrel.

Private-sector employment slowed in September as firms added 135,000 jobs ADP reported Wednesday. On Wednesday, ADP revised August’s gain to 228,000.