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US stocks ticked lower at the open on Friday as investors grappled with a flurry of economic data, with the S&P 500 within striking distance of an all-time closing high.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 35 points or 0.24%, to 14,503, the S&P 500 lost 3 points or 0.21%, to 1,560 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.75 points or 0.02%, to 3,258.
The record closing high on the S&P is 1,565, set October 9, 2007. Its record intraday high is 1,576, set two days later.
