Wall St slips on China data, Italy downgrade

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Monday as Italy's credit downgrade and disappointing data from China curbed investors' enthusiasm.

Shortly after the bell, the Dow Jones industrial average edged down 12.94 points, or 0.09 percent, at 14,384.13. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index slipped 2.25 points, or 0.15 percent, to 1,548.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index was off 6.50 points, or 0.20 percent, to 3,237.87.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Nick Zieminski)