Copper Concerns, Growth Worries Drag S&P Under 2,000

U.S. equities are seeing red in midday trading Wednesday, with the Dow down triple digits and the S&P dipping under 2,000 points for the first time in 2015 on the confluence of disappointing December retail sales, a lower global growth projection from the World Bank, and copper prices that hit a five-and-a-half-year low Wednesday morning.