U.S. stock indexes edged lower in early trading Wednesday, weighed down by real estate and technology companies. The Nasdaq composite index was coming off a record-setting close the day before. Trading was quiet as investors looked ahead to a light week of economic and company news before the New Year’s Day holiday weekend.
KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 19,929 as of 10:12 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 6 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,262. The Nasdaq slid 17 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,470.
NOT FINE: Qualcomm slipped 1 percent after antitrust regulators in South Korea fined the company $865 million, claiming the chipmaker engaged in unfair sales practices, including refusing to let competitors license patents that are essential for chipmaking. The stock shed 49 cents to $66.77.
REITs: Several real estate investment trusts, or REITs, were trading lower. Extra Space Storage fell $1.29, or 1.7 percent, to $74.09. Ventas slid 90 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $60.63. Public Storage shed $2.64, or 1.2 percent, to $217.50.
BIG GAINER: CarMax was notched the biggest gain in the S&P 500 index. The used vehicles retailer rose $1.17, or 1.8 percent, to $65.48.