Stocks Were Mixed at the Open

U.S. stocks were mixed at the open on Thursday, after a wave of better-than-expected corporate earnings was balanced against fears around softening global economic conditions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 106.64 points, or 0.43%, to 24,468.98. The S&P 500 was down 5.21 points, or 0.20%, to 2,633.49. The Nasdaq Composite gained 18.57 points, or 0.26%, to 7,044.33.

Oil futures prices turned back from early gains Thursday as traders looked to the possibility of U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil amid intensifying political tensions there, which could lead to a tighter global market. West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery was last down 28 cents, or 0.5%, at $52.34 a barrel. March Brent lost 50 cents, or 0.8%, to $60.64 a barrel.

Huawei Technologies Co.’s consumer chief dismissed U.S. “political forces” and attempts to crimp the company’s growth, saying sales of smartphones and other devices surged by about 50 percent to a record $52 billion in 2018.