Wall St falls on geopolitical tensions; Fed minutes eyed – Reuters

Wall St falls on geopolitical tensions; Fed minutes eyed – Reuters

Feb 16 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading losses after stronger-than-expected retail sales data gave the Federal Reserve more ammunition to tighten policy, while geopolitical tensions over Russia and Ukraine added to caution.

Technology (.SPLRCT) and communication services (.SPLRCL) led the declines among the 11 major S&P sectors. The energy index (.SPNY) was the sole gainer, up 1.4%, as crude prices rose amid tensions around a possible Russian move on Ukraine remaining high.

The United States and NATO said Russia was still building up troops around Ukraine despite Moscow's insistence it was pulling back. read more