US stocks slip at the start of the second half of the year

Major Wall Street indexes opened lower on Wednesday as renewed tensions between the United States and Iran cast doubt on prospects for peace in the Middle East, leading investors to adopt a cautious stance at the beginning of the second half of 2026.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88 points at the opening bell, or 0.17%, to 52,231.18.

The S&P 500 also declined by 20.5 points, or 0.27%, at the start of trading to 7,478.84.

Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 174.2 points, or 0.66%, to 26,039.507 at the open.