• The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 7.85 points, or 0.03 percent, to 24,746.21, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 2.84 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,680.5 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 23.71 points, or 0.34 percent, to 6,936.25.
U.S. stocks declined on Tuesday as Apple and shares of its parts suppliers weakened on a report of soft iPhone X demand, which pulled technology shares lower.
• Shares of U.S. department stores jumped on Tuesday as Mastercard Inc said shoppers spent over $800 billion during the season, more than ever before, boosted by growing consumer confidence, rising employment and early discounts.
The report said holiday sales in stores and online between Nov 1 and Dec 24 rose 4.9 percent, the fastest year-on-year pace of increase since 2011. Mastercard, which tracks spending by combining sales activity in its payments network with estimates of cash and other payment forms, excluded automobile sales from its figures.
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• Asian markets were mixed in early Wednesday trade, with most markets shrugging off declines seen on Wall Street. Meanwhile, investors in the region await the release of industrial profit numbers out of China.
• Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 made marginal gains, climbing 0.07 percent after coming under slight pressure in the previous session.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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