Wall Street mixed at the open

U.S. stock indices opened with mixed results on Thursday as investors assess the chances of rate hikes in 2017, after the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes showed how wary policymakers are towards President-elect Donald Trump's economic policies.
 
As of 15:49 GMT, Dow Jones shed 31.65 points, or 0.16% to 19,910.51, while Standard and Poor's 500 inched down 2.12 points, or 0.09% to 2,268.63. NASDAQ Composite climbed 9.31 points, or 0.18% to 5,486.72.
 
Wall Street rose for the second straight session yesterday, buoyed by energy and commodity shares.
 
Earlier U.S. data showed the economy has added 153 thousand new jobs in the private sector, down from 215K in November, and missing expectations of 171K.
 
Unemployment claims fell to 235 thousand in the week ending December 31, compared to 263K in the previous reading, while the ISM services PMI rose to 57.2 in December, besting expectations of 56.6.
 
The Fed released the minutes of its December 13-14 meeting yesterday, at which FOMC members voted to increase interest rates by a quarter point, which showed policymakers still believe a gradual path of rate hikes is the most appropriate for the economy, while the fiscal path under Donald Trump remains vague to most Fed members.