U.S. stocks opened lower Wednesday as investors digested a report showing U.S. retail sales were flat in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading 0.7% lower soon after the opening bell, while the S&P 500 fell 0.9% and the Nasdaq Composite declined around 1%, according to FactSet data, at last check. The U.S. Census Bureau said Wednesday that retail sales were flat in July, while economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 0.1% rise. Investors are looking ahead to the minutes of the Federal Reserve's July 26-27 policy meeting, which will be released at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
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