U.S. stocks slipped on Monday after a brokerage downgrade weighed on drug makers and oil prices rose amid speculation of an OPEC production cut and after a foiled attack on a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia. The rise in oil prices rekindled concerns about lower corporate profits and reduced consumer spending. Shares of Pfizer Inc. and Wyeth fell after Merrill Lynch downgraded them, and British health authorities warned about popular, Prozac-type antidepressants that the companies make. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 45.44 points, or 0.43 percent, at 10,546.77. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 3.67 points, or 0.31 percent, at 1,187.50. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 3.57 points, or 0.17 percent, at 2,144.39. Merrill Lynch cut its rating on Wyeth and Pfizer to "neutral" from "buy." Shares of Wyeth fell 3.6 percent to $40.08. Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency highlighted potential problems with the drugmaker's antidepressant drug, Effexor, use of which will be restricted in the future. --More 2333 Local Time 2033 GMT
