Stocks Edged Lower at Open ahead of Latest U.S.-China Trade Talks

U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday, ahead of another round of U.S.-China trade talks. The Dow Industrial Average lately fell 10.83 points, or 0.04%, to 25,872.42. The S&P 500 was down 2.58 points, or 0.09%, to 2,773.02. The Nasdaq Composite declined 2.03 points, or 0.03%, to 7,470.38.

Crude-oil futures on Tuesday saw mixed trade, with international benchmark Brent crude edging lower, while the U.S. benchmark rose amid reports of falling Saudi Arabian exports.West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained 49 cents, or 0.9%, at $56.49 a barrel, while April Brent lost 11 cents, or 0.2%, to trade at $66.39 a barrel.

Gains last week were fueled in part by upbeat expectations surrounding U.S.-China trade negotiations. Top U.S. and Chinese officials met last week in Beijing. Talks are set to resume Tuesday in Washington.