NEW YORK (TheStreet) --aU.S. stocks opened lower Wednesday as geopolitical jitters flared and investors awaited a stronger confirmation of market fundamentals.a aMust Read: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves in 2014 The Dow Jones Industrial Average awas off 0.35%. TheaS&P 500 fell 0.61%. The Nasdaq dipped 0.64%. U.S. private payrolls grew by a more-than-expected 213,000 in September, according to the ADP employment change report. But the markets barely budged on the news amid weak economic data overseas -- including sluggish PMI data out of China and Europe and weaker corporate confidence in Japan. "The market wants to see what the employment report says this coming Friday and then after that we have earnings.aIt's a market that's waiting --aand there's a lot of 'ifs' at this time. Until we reinforce the fundamentals it stays in a hesitant nervous state," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. A flare-up in geopolitical risks also was hurting the mood. In Hong Kong, a turnout of thousands for pro-Democracy demonstrations during China's 65th National Day was fueling fears of a government clampdown.aThe Hong Kong market was closed on Wednesday. It tumbled 1.28% on Tuesday. There were also concerns about an escalation of European Union sanctions on Russia. "I do think we are going to see an escalation of sanctions and that's driven by the fact that Russia and Ukraine are unlikely to agree on the three areas of substance where they currently diverge," said Mujtaba Rahman, Eurasia Group's Europeapractice head and director. Theathree areasaconsist of the degree of Ukrainian federalization athere should be, the structural guarantees that Russia wants a NATO membership for Ukraine, andaa deeper comprehensive free trade agreement with Ukraine. Rahman said until there is substantive agreement on those three things, Russian President Vladmir Putin's best strategy will continue to be "destabilization through proxy forces.aAnd that's what we've seen and what we'll continue to see for some time. In that environment where you don't get agreement and you do continue to see this mild escalation, I think you ultimately do see more sanctions from the Europeans." aa "The sanctions will have a negative impact on the real economy and economic growth outlook for all the soverign concerns -- first the countries in Europe, especially those that are very close to Russia geographically, but also economically," said Rahman.a"And in terms of energy independence, further sanctions will have a negative -- and will particularly have a negative impact on asset classes in one direction. And that's down." The economic calendar on Wednesday also includes the Markit PMI manufacturing index for last month at 9:45 a.m. EDT, the composite index from the ISM manufacturing survey for September at 10 a.m., and construction spending data for August at 10 a.m. In individual stock headlines Wednesday, shares of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals jumped after officials announced that the first case of Ebola had been diagnosed in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control said a patient being treated at a hospital in Dallas tested positive for the disease. Tekmira has been working on a treatment for the deadly disease. Tekmira advanced 27.72% Wednesday morning. Amazon.com appears to be close to settling a nearly two-month dispute with Walt Disney during which the online retailer stopped offering Disney DVDs for preorder, The Wall Street Journal reported. Automakers such as Ford and General Motors will be releasing auto sales for September throughout the day. Angie's List reportedly has hired bankers to explore strategic options, including a sale of the company. The stock jumped 14.8% Wednesday. A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against investors who are trying to collect billions of dollars in profits of government-chartered mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac . The United States Oil Fund and the SPDR Gold Trust were both flat.a -- By Andrea Tse in New York Follow @AndreaTTse
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