Dow attempts 6th straight gain as stocks rise modestly to start Wednesday action

U.S. stock benchmarks were trading flat to slightly higher Wednesday morning, a day after the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 halted a multi-session streak of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.30% was up 0.1% at around 36,425, the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.15% was up 0.1% at 4,793, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.20% was trading 0.2% higher at 15,815. In economic data, the trade deficit in goods surged by 17.5% in November to set an all-time high, keeping the U.S. on track in 2021 to post its biggest annual shortfall on record.