US stocks open lower

NEW YORK: US stocks opened lower Wednesday after three days of solid gains, with falling oil prices hitting energy shares.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 50.22 points (0.39 percent) to 12,710.14 in opening trade.

The broader S&P 500 index lost 4.30 points (0.32 percent) at 1,352.86, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 3.46 points (0.12 percent) to 2,868.43.

"Mixed action among the major equity averages abroad hasn't provided any extra direction," to traders after three consecutive sessions higher, said analysts at Briefing.com.