Stocks Opened Mostly Lower amid Greece Worries

U.S. stocks opened lower on Wednesday as investors awaited the outcome of the crucial meeting of eurozone finance ministers to discuss Greece’s debt obligations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately slipped 58.06 points, or 0.32%, to 17,810.70. The S&P 500 was down 2.59 points, or 0.13%, to 2,066.00. The Nasdaq Composite edged higher, up 5.38 points, or 0.11%, to 4,793.02.

Greece’s new government is confronting its eurozone creditors head on at an emergency meeting Wednesday, where Athens will seek to ease its bailout conditions in the face of strong resistance from its partners.

Rite Aid Corp. (RAD) said Wednesday it has agreed to buy EnvisionRx, a pharmacy benefit manager that is a portfolio company of private-equity firm TPG, for about $2 billion.

Target is pulling the plug on its online video rental service Target Ticket, ending a venture the discounter had launched as it worked to keep up with rival Amazon.com.

PepsiCo Inc.’s revenue and profit fell in its fourth quarter as foreign currency effects weighed. For the period ended Dec. 27, Pepsi reported a profit of $1.31 billion, down from $1.74 billion a year earlier. On a per-share basis, earnings fell to 87 cents from $1.12 a year earlier.

Gold tried to picked itself off the mat on Wednesday, rebounding from a beatdown in the prior session as investors, at least temporarily, tapped the brakes on riskier plays. Gold for April delivery added $2.90 to $1,235.10 an ounce. March silver rose 5 cents to $16.92 an ounce.