Stocks dip, U.S. yield curve hits steepest in 2 months

The U.S. Treasury yield curve hit its steepest in more than two months on Wednesday, while world stock markets edged lower as investors fretted about future U.S. interest rate hikes. A jump in Apple shares, which briefly touched a 2016 high, limited losses in the S&P 500 index. Deepening worries over the ability of the world's major central banks to stimulate growth have triggered a rise in bond yields and sparked a bout of risk-off trading.