US stocks are little changed ahead of Fed report

FILE - This Oct. 2, 2014 file photo shows the facade of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. Stocks are opening mostly lower Wednesday, May 20, 2015, as traders look over some disappointing company results. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) FILE - This Oct. 2, 2014 file photo shows the facade of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. Stocks are opening mostly lower Wednesday, May 20, 2015, as traders look over some disappointing company results. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By Associated Press May 20, 2015 2 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – US stocks are little changed in early morning trading Wednesday as investors weigh several earnings reports and await the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policymaking meeting.

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average inched up two points to 18,315 as of 10:22 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped up a point to 2,127. The Nasdaq composite declined five points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,064.

CRAFT CRASH: Etsy plunged 20 percent after its first earnings report as a publicly traded company showed a hefty quarterly loss. Stock in the e-commerce retailer of crafts plunged $4.55 to $16.45.

SUPPLY SLIP: Staples fell $39 cents, or 3 percent, to $16.02 after reporting a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings

LOWER LOWE’S: The home-improvement retailer Lowe’s sank 5 percent on earnings and revenue that fell short of what analysts were looking for. The stock fell $2.94 to $68.89.