NEW YORK, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened lower Wednesday as Wall Street pored through the newly-released consumer price index (CPI) data.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.82 points, or 0.01 percent, to 26,046.69. The S&P 500 was down 0.885 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,884.87. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 18.08 points, or 0.23 percent, to 7,804.49.
Of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors, energy and financials struggled while utilities and consumer staples outperformed.
The U.S. CPI for all urban consumers increased 0.1 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.3 percent in April, the Department of Labor reported.
The closely-watched core inflation that strips out food and energy also advanced a scant 0.1 percent last month.
The muted inflation data came as investors increasingly speculate on interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
Market expectations for lower rates by July were at 85.3 percent on Wednesday, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool. Enditem
