Stocks Opened Lower as Trade Fears Flared

U.S. stocks opened lower on Wednesday as doubts persisted about progress on a U.S.-China trade deal. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 69.92 points, or 0.25%, to 27,864.10. The S&P 500 was down 4.69 points, or 0.15%, to 3,115.49. The Nasdaq Composite declined 10.92 points, or 0.13%, to 8,559.74.

Oil futures mounted a tepid comeback Wednesday morning, as investors watched for a key U.S. inventory report due later in the session. West Texas Intermediate crude for December delivery added 35 cents, or 0.6%, to trade at $55.70 a barrel. January Brent crude gained 38 cents, or 0.6%, to $61.29 a barrel.