S&P 500 Index opens lower for second straight day, closes in on 4,500

• Wall Street's main indexes trade in the negative territory on Wednesday.
• Energy shares push higher on rising crude oil prices.

Major equity indexes started the second day in the negative territory on Wednesday as risk-off flows continue to dominate the financial markets. As of writing, the S&P 500 Index was down 0.2% on the day at 4,510, the Dow Jones Industrial was down 0.15% at 35,100 and the Nasdaq Composite was falling 0.4% at 15,313.

Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, the Energy Index is rising 1% supported by rising crude oil prices. Currently, the barrel of West Texas Intermediate is up 1.5% at $69.40 as oil output in the Gulf of Mexico remains low due to Hurricane Ida.

On the other hand, the risk-sensitive Technology Index is losing 0.4% as the biggest decline after the opening bell. 

Later in the session, JOLTS Job Openings data for September will be looked upon for fresh impetus. Additionally, the 10-year US Treasury note auction will take place at 1700 GMT.