NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened slightly lower Friday on soft consumer spending data for July amid eased worries on Syria.
Personal income edged up 0.1 percent in July, following a 0.3-percent increase in June, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Personal consumption expenditures also rose 0.1 percent in July, in contrast to a revised 0.6-percent gain in June, the department added.
The fresh data came in below analysts' expectations. JP Morgan economist Daniel Silver said Friday that July's personal consumption expenditure added "fairly significant" downside risk to their third-quarter U.S. gross domestic product forecast.
Adding to the woes of the market, U.S. consumer sentiment fell in August from a six-year high in the prior month. The final reading of the consumer sentiment index fell to 82.1 in August, slightly better than the preliminary reading of 80, according to a joint survey released Friday by Thomson Reuters and University of Michigan.
Moreover, worries about an imminent attack against Syria eased somewhat after Britain's House of Commons on Thursday rejected a government attack plan on Syria.
However, the United States may take unilateral action against Syria as President Barack Obama's decision-making will be guided by what is in the best interests of the country, U.S. officials said.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 14.19 points, or 0.10 percent, to 14,826.76 points. The S&P 500 edged down 0.20 point, or 0.01 percent, to 1,637.97 points. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 7.17 points, or 0.20 percent, to 3,613.13 points.
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