US stocks fell slightly on Wednesday as investors waited for a resolution to the debt-ceiling standoff in Washington and digested a series of favourable company earnings reports.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 14.75 points (0.12 per cent) to stand at 12,572,67 in closing trade.
The broader S&P 500 slipped 0.83 point (0.06 per cent) to 1,325.90, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 12.29 points (0.43 per cent) to close at 2,814.23.
The retreat came a day after Wall Street enjoyed its strongest one-day rally this year, driven by robust earnings from companies like IBM and Coca-Cola.
