U.S. stocks trade mixed amid data, geopolitical concerns

NEW YORK, April 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded mixed on Wednesday as investors digested the latest economic data and renewed geopolitical concerns.

At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 94.74 points, or 0.39 percent, to 24,313.26. The S&P 500 erased 2.13 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,654.74. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 14.04 points, or 0.20 percent, to 7,108.34.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning, saying Russia should get ready for missile attacks against Syria. Analysts said the tweet gave investors fresh concerns over the Trump administration's policies.

In corporate news, social media and technology stocks are in the limelight as Facebook's data scandal continues to unfold.

The company's chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg entered the second day of testimony before Congress on Wednesday.

During the hearing on Tuesday, questions ranged from the social network's role in the 2016 presidential elections and how it handles data. Zuckerberg said that his company is working with special counsel Robert Mueller in the sweeping Russia investigation.

The congressional hearing came nearly a month after news broke that Cambridge Analytica, a data consulting firm with ties to Trump's campaign, accessed information from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge.

Russian groups were alleged to have taken advantage of the social media platform to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Facebook was "too slow to spot and respond to Russian interference," Zuckerberg said. "It's clear now that we didn't do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm."

On the economic front, U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in 10 months in March.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers decreased 0.1 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.2 percent in February, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in March, the same increase as in February. Enditem