Stocks Opened Slightly Lower, Oil Futures Drifted Lower

U.S. stocks opened slightly lower  on Thursday as investors continued to weigh trade optimism against uncertainty around an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 31.06 points, or 0.12%, to 26,939.65. The S&P 500 lost 8.88 points, or 0.30%, to 2,975.99. The Nasdaq Composite retreated 43.82 points, or 0.54%, to 8,033.57.

Oil futures drifted lower Thursday, as news reports cite progress in restoring output and U.S. inventories.rise. West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery were off 5 cents, or 0.1%, at $56.44 a barrel, while November Brent crude was off 8 cents, or 0.1%, at $61.34 a barrel.

On the trade front, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is said to be ready to authorize tariffs on nearly $8 billion of European goods over what the U.S. has called illegal state aid for EU-based Airbus SE (AIR.PA), Bloomberg reported.