Storm- News » The U.S. oil has tumbled

NEW YORK Tomas Hertl Sharks Jersey , Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded mixed around midday Friday, as investors digested the country's consumer price data amid a plunge in oil prices.


Around noon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 27.39 points, or 0.17 percent, to 16,386.04. The S&P 500 edged down 0.15 point, or 0.01 percent, to 1,917.68. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 21.91 points, or 0.49 percent, to 4,509.44.


Oil prices traded sharply lower in early trading Friday, with both the U.S. oil and Brent crude slumping about 4 percent, after government data showed a rise in U.S. crude stockpiles.


Oil prices witnessed wild swings recently amid talks of a coordinated plan by producers to freeze output levels.


The U.S. oil has tumbled more than 22 percent over oversupply concerns since the beginning of the year.


On the economic front, the consumer price index (CPI) for all urban consumers was unchanged in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.