Wall Street falls on data, FedEx, Spain fears

 Stocks slipped at the open on Wednesday as FedEx (NYSE:FDX - News) warned about higher costs, housing starts fell to a five-month low and new concerns surfaced over Spain's fiscal problems.
* The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) fell 63.63 points, or 0.61 percent, to 10,341.14. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^SPX - News) lost 7.14 points, or 0.64 percent, to 1,108.09. The Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq:^IXIC - News) was off 13.88 points, or 0.60 percent, to 2,292.00.

     -- FedEx on Wednesday offered a conservative outlook for its new fiscal year even as strong exports from Asia led to healthy fourth-quarter results.
The forecast for earnings of $4.40 to $5 per share, falls short of analysts' predictions of $5.05 per share. But it's the first time the company has issued a full-year forecast since before the recession, indicating growing confidence in the long-term recovery in global trade.
The outlook also reflects expected higher costs as shipping volume picks up.
In a conference call with analysts, CEO Fred Smith said international growth is especially strong in India, China and Brazil. Smith said the company sees growth in those three fast-paced economies picking up steam over the next year -- a trend he believes has been understated recently in economic forecasts.
"In my mind that very large trend of the emergence of these middle classes in India and China and Brazil that are now integrated into global trade is something that's pretty profound," he said. "People have an undue sense of pessimism relative to what's actually happening out there in my opinion."
The Memphis, Tenn., company expects to earn 85 cents to $1.05 per share for the quarter ending in August. Analysts expect $1.03 per share.
Shares fell 2.7 percent in morning trading, down $2.23 to $80.78. The company has in recent quarters issued modest forecasts for future results.
In the quarter ended in May, FedEx earned $419 million, or $1.33 per share. It lost $876 million, or $2.82 per share a year earlier. Excluding a writedown on the value of assets and aircraft, earnings were 64 cents per share a year ago.
Revenue climbed 20 percent to $9.43 billion.
FedEx said international express shipments jumped and its Ground division improved. But its freight unit lost money and employee costs rose as it reinstated some compensation programs.