(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

*

Indexes down: Dow 0.20%, S&P 500 0.12%, Nasdaq 0.14%

*

Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) shares rise on Q4 profit forecast

*

Albemarle gains on PT hike, China's rare earth export

controls

(Updates after markets open)

By Niket Nishant and Sukriti Gupta

Oct 9 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes edged lower

on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell offered no

fresh policy signals, leaving investors to rely on older data to

shape sentiment.

While markets have priced in aggressive interest rate cuts

on hopes that the Fed will prioritize labor market support,

minutes from the central bank's September meeting released on

Wednesday showed lingering inflation concerns.

Investors will also tune in to remarks from other Fed

speakers, including Board Governor Michael Barr and San

Francisco Fed President Mary Daly.

Any hawkish tilt from policymakers could weigh on equities,

which have held strong even during a seasonally weak stretch,

partly on expectations of lower rates.

"We're headed for a big correction, but that correction is

not likely to happen for a few months," said Peter Cardillo,

chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities.

At 10:12 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average

fell 93.77 points, or 0.20%, to 46,508.01. The S&P 500

lost 8.34 points, or 0.12%, to 6,745.38, while the Nasdaq

Composite dropped 31.40 points, or 0.14%, to 23,011.97.

The S&P 500 consumer discretionary stocks fell

0.9%, as Tesla slipped 1.9% and Amazon ( AMZN ) lost

0.9%.

Tesla declined after the U.S. National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration said it was opening an investigation into

2.88 million of its vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving

system.

The stocks also weighed on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 industrials sector fell 0.8%. Tech

stocks rose 0.1%, led by a 2.7% gain in Nvidia ( NVDA )

.

Traders are also turning their attention to the earnings

season as official data releases remain halted with the

government shutdown now in its second week. Company forecasts

and executive commentary are expected to serve as indicators for

crucial insights into the economic outlook.

While their correlation with official data varies, some of

these proxies have shown worrying trends. Earlier this week,

investment firm Carlyle estimated that U.S. employers

added just 17,000 jobs last month, far below the 54,000

estimated by economists polled by Reuters in the nonfarm

payrolls report.

The six largest U.S. banks are expected to report stronger

third-quarter earnings next week, bolstered by a rebound in

investment banking.

Separately, spot gold prices held above $4,000 an ounce,

after breaching the milestone for the first time earlier this

week. Bullion's gains have highlighted strong demand for hedging

even as investors chase momentum in equities.

However, Israel and Hamas signing off on the first phase of

a proposed Gaza peace deal could help remove a long-term

overhang on risk assets.

Among stocks, Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) shares jumped 5.4%.

The airline provided an upbeat forecast for the current quarter,

after posting stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings.

Other U.S. carriers also gained. United Airlines

rose 3.4%, while American Airlines ( AAL ) and JetBlue Airways ( JBLU )

advanced 2.2% and 1.4%, respectively.

U.S. retailer Costco Wholesale ( COST ) rose 2.5%, a day

after reporting sales data for September.

Lithium producer Albemarle rose 8.2% after brokerage

TD Cowen raised price target on the stock and as China tightened

export controls on rare earths.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2.07-to-1 ratio

on the NYSE and by a 1.54-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and four new lows,

while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 88 new highs and 31 new

lows.