US stocks fell slightly on Thursday as expectations of further interest rate increases outweighed the impact of better-than-expected September sales reported by major retailers.
Oil companies, including Chevron Corp weighed on the broad Standard & Poor's 500 index, while software companies, including Check Point Software Inc, helped push down the Nasdaq.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 25.85 points, or 0.25 percent, at 10,291.51. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 2.58 points, or 0.22 percent, at 1,193.81. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 10.27 points, or 0.49 percent, at 2,092.75.