[NEW YORK] Wall Street opened lower on Thursday after weak US economic data heightened investors' fears of a slowdown in the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 19.62 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 16,317.04, the S&P 500 lost 3.04 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 1,909.49 and the Nasdaq Composite index dropped 11.69 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 4,492.55.

REUTERS