[BRIEFING.COM] With about two hours to go on Wednesday the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (-1.85%) is today's worst-performing major average, down about 424 points.
Gold futures settled $43.70 lower (-1.1%) at $4,065.40/oz, as traders continued to take profits following record highs and a relatively strengthening U.S. dollar. Analysts said easing geopolitical tensions and caution ahead of key U.S. inflation data also contributed to the pullback.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar Index is down about -0.1% to $98.85.