Stocks Opened Lower as Trade Tensions Escalated

U.S. stocks opened lower on Wednesday as investors contend with a fresh round of tariff clashes between the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 38.65 points, or 0.15%, to 25,590.26. The S&P 500 was down 2.30 points, or 0.08%, to 2,856.15. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.73 points, or 0.05%, to 7,879.93.

Oil prices were marginally higher Wednesday, ahead of weekly U.S. data that is expected to show a fall in stocks. West Texas Intermediate futures for September delivery rose 11 cents, or 0.2%, to $69.28 a barrel. Brent crude for October was up 3 cents, or less than 0.1%, to $74.68 a barrel.

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk started talks with the company’s board last week about taking the electric car maker private, some board members said on Wednesday.