(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 17 nov - US shares opened lower to kick off a week focused on key AI and retail earnings and the release of September's payrolls report held up by the government shutdown.

With federal offices back open for business after a 43-day stoppage, the government is due to publish the jobs report for September on Thursday. The data, originally slated for release at the start of October, is eagerly awaited by the market ahead of the Federal Reserve's last monetary policy meeting in December.

A swathe of Fed policymakers have recently signalled a more cautious approach to interest rate cuts until more evidence is collected on inflation and labor market trends.

The main corporate news of the week will be Nvidia earnings due on Wednesday as investors wrestle with doubts over valuations and the staying power of the AI play. A string of big retail results, including Walmart and Home Depot, will also be monitored for clues on how the US consumer is faring.

On the stocks front, shares in Alphabet were up 5.2% in early trade after Berkshire Hathaway said it had taken a stake in the company last quarter.

Just after the opening bell the Dow Jones was down 79.42 points, or 0.17%, at 47,068.06 points, the S&P 500 was down 20.50 points, or 0.30%, at 6,713.61, while the Nasdaq was.

down 113.91 points, or 0.50%, at 22,786.68.

(RADIOCOR) 17-11-25 15:41:53 (0449) 5 NNNN