Stocks Opened Modestly Lower, Oil Prices Rose

U.S. stocks opened modestly lower on Tuesday as investors look ahead to central-bank policy meetings and gauge developments on the U.S.-China trade front. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately declined 73.14 points, or 0.27%, to 26,762.37. The S&P 500 fell 18.76 points, or 0.63%, to 2,959.67. The Nasdaq Composite lost 78.80 points, or 0.97%, to 8,008.64.

Oil futures traded higher Tuesday ahead of a meeting between OPEC and its allies in Abu Dhabi set for Thursday, with expectations running high for extended production cuts. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery rose 39 cents, or 0.7%, to $58.24 a barrel, while November Brent crude was up 48 cents, or 0.8%, at $63.07 a barrel.

McDonald’s said Tuesday it agreed to acquire early stage voiced-based tech company Apprente. Founded in 2017, the artificial intelligence upstart is backed by some of tech’s venture capital heavyweights, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman’s Greylock Partners.