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New York - US stocks edged lower in cautious opening trade on Wednesday as ADP private sector hiring data pointed to a solid July employment report this week.
Oil shares dropped as crude prices continued their 10-day slide amid worries of no action by producers to curtail the market glut.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.2% at 18 417.93.
The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.2% at 2 171.04, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2% to 5 210.41.
The ADP payrolls firm said US businesses added a solid 177 000 new staff in July, pointing to a likely good Labor Department employment report for the month on Friday.
A strong jobs report could tip the balance at the Federal Reserve toward a long-awaited interest rate increase, as soon as late September.
