US stocks open slightly down

US stocks inched downward overnight as caution reigned while European leaders struggled to put together an expanded rescue package for the eurozone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12.67 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 11,491.95 in the first five minutes of trade. The broader S&P 500 shed 1.15 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 1208.73, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite pared 8.70 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 2595.34. Stocks were helped by new weekly jobless claims data that, while not a sharp improvement, held to the slowing improving trend of the past two months. Initial jobless claims in the week ending October 15 fell to 403,000, down by 6,000 from the prior week, the Labor Department reported.