US stocks fell on Wednesday as oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel after data showed an unexpected drop in crude stockpiles last week, hurting investor sentiment about the economy. Shares of Dow industrial companies that are benchmarks of the US economy fell, with Honeywell International Inc, an aerospace and industrial conglomerate, down 1.4 percent at $36.75, and Caterpillar Inc, a heavy equipment-maker, down 1.3 percent at $92.57.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 56 points, or 0.53 percent, at 10,448. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 5.46 points, or 0.46 percent, at 1,188.60. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 14.76 points, or 0.72 percent, at 2,046.86.