New York [US], November 17:U.S. stocks declined on Wednesday, as investors digested a slew of economic data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 39.09 points, or 0.12 percent, to 33,553.83. The S&P 500 fell 32.94 points, or 0.83 percent, to 3,958.79. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 174.75 points, or 1.54 percent, to 11,183.66.
Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with energy and consumer discretionary down 2.15 percent and 1.46 percent, respectively, leading the laggards. Utilities and consumer staples climbed 0.87 percent and 0.46 percent, respectively, the only two gaining groups.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that U.S. retail sales rose 1.3 percent in October, topping estimates.
"The combo of better-than-expected employment and better-than-expected consumer strength is a reminder there is still ample work before inflation can be expected to fall back to 2 percent," Chris Low, chief economist at FHN Financial, said Wednesday in a note.
Elsewhere, the Federal Reserve reported that U.S. industrial production fell 0.1 percent in October, below Wall Street expectations of a 0.1 percent gain.
Source: Xinhua