Wall Street opens mostly lower

US stock indices opened the third session of the week lower after closing on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday, dragged lower by healthcare and energy shares, while the fourth-quarter earnings season for major American banks and corporations gets into gear. 

Earlier US data showed building permits steadied at an annualized 1.30 million units in December, same as November, and beating expectations of 1.29 million. 

US housing starts fell to an annualized 1.19 million units in December from 1.30 million in November, missing projections of 1.28 million units. 

US unemployment claims fell to 220 thousand in the week ending January 13, the lowest since March 1973, down from the previous reading's 261K, beating expectations of 250K. 

The Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey, also called the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index, dipped in January to 22.2 from 26.2 in December, missing forecasts of 24.9. 

As of 03:30 GMT, Standard and Poor's 500 fell 0.14%, or 3.89 points to 2,798.67, while Dow Jones dipped 0.26%, or 66.98 points to 26,048.67. 

Tech-heavy NASDAQ slipped 0.12%, or 8.88 points to 7,289.40.