U.S. stocks open lower amid economic data

U.S. stocks opened lower Wednesday as Wall Street digested a batch of economic reports.

U.S. new orders for manufactured durable goods in October increased 11.0 billion U.S. dollars or 4.8 percent to 239.4 billion dollars, well above market consensus, the Commerce Department announced Wednesday.

In the week ending Nov. 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 251,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The 4-week moving average was 251,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average.

Meanwhile, investors also kept a close eye on the Federal Reserve's minutes from its November meeting scheduled for released in the afternoon, for more clues on the timing of the next rate hike.

U.S. stock markets will be closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 1.30 points, or 0.01 percent, to 19,022.57. The S&P 500 fell 5.74 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,197.20. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 22.86 points, or 0.42 percent, to 5,363.49.

On Tuesday, U.S. stocks ended at record highs, with the Dow closing above the round-number mark of 19,000 for the first time ever, as investors digested the country's strong existing home sales data. Endi