Most U.S. stock markets fell on Wednesday, after the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that the country's trade deficit had unexpectedly widened to $40.2 billion.
Shortly after the U.S. trading session began, the S&P 500 index was down 1.02% and the Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.87%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, slipped 0.87% to 9,970.89.
The picture was somewhat rosier across the Atlantic: France’s CAC 40 was up 0.51%; Germany's DAX rose 0.52%; Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.16%; and the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.92%.
Also Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he could begin pulling back stimulus from the economy by first removing cash from the financial system.
His remarks were seen as suggesting that the U.S. economy is on a stable path to recovery.