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| - Wall Street stocks were little changed early Wednesday as markets weighed updates on the infrastructure debate and strong earnings from some retailers. Analysts greeted reports that Senate Republicans plan to lift their infrastructure package to $1 trillion, bringing them somewhat closer to President Joe Biden's latest offer costing $1.7 trillion. Passage of an infrastructure package would add to momentum behind the reopening US economy. On the downside, investors are monitoring signs of rising inflation amid fears higher prices could prompt a sudden shift in Federal Reserve policy. Several retailers surged after reporting earnings results, with Urban Outfitters, Dick's Sporting Goods and Abercrombie & Fitch all gaining more than 10 percent amid hopes for a strong industry recovery. About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1 percent at 34,294.17. The broad-based S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1 percent to 4,187.02, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.3 percent at 13,701.42. Among individual companies, Amazon edged up 0.1 percent after announcing it would acquire the storied MGM studios for $8.45 billion, giving the US tech giant a vast library to further its ambitions in streaming. Ford jumped 3.6 percent as it said it is ramping up investment in zero-emission cars and by 2030 expects 40 percent of its sales volume to be comprised of fully electric vehicles. jmb/cs
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