Wall Street opens lower as recession fears weigh on market

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is opening lower as worries build that the U.S. may be headed for a painful recession. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% early Thursday. Reports showed weakness in several areas of the economy, including the housing industry and manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region, though they weren't quite as bad as expected and the job market appears to remain healthy. They follow worse-than-expected readings a day earlier on retail sales, a cornerstone of the economy, and industrial production. Altogether, they show an economy slowing under the weight of last year's blizzard of rate hikes by the…