By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks dipped on Wednesday, a day after Wall Street suffered its worst session since August on geopolitical turmoil in Libya.
The market found little support at the open after futures pointed to a positive start for stocks, adding to recent concerns about an impending correction.
"Some of the concern about the Middle East and higher oil prices got embedded into the market yesterday," said Giri Cherukuri, head trader at OakBrook Investments in Lisle, Illinois. "Today we'll get to see if this is the start of a trend."
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The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 37.39 points, or 0.31 percent, to 12,175.40. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 2.53 points, or 0.19 percent, to 1,312.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 8.11 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,748.31.
A senior aide to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's influential son Saif resigned as an Italian official claimed as many as 1,000 people have been killed in the government crackdown.
Brent and U.S. crude oil futures gained further ground on worries about supply disruptions as the revolt raged in Libya raged.
The energy sector <.GSPE> kept losses in check on the S&P 500 with a 1.2 percent advance.
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose unexpectedly in January, but prices fell to their lowest level in nearly nine years, an industry group said.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
