US equity markets retreated amid some profit taking ahead of the release of US inflation data - Dow down -112-points or -0.31% . The broader S&P500 -0.35%, snapping an eight session losing streak and a day after posting its 64th record closing high of 2021. Consumer Discretionary (down -1.35%) led five of the eleven primary sectors lower. PayPal Holdings Inc tumbled -10.46% a day after the digital payments company issued weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter and full-year guidance. Tesla Inc (down -11.99%) continued to slide after founder Elon Musk last weekend asked in a Twitter poll whether he should sell 10% of his stock, with nearly 58% of respondents saying ‘yes’. General Electric Co gained +2.65% after announcing plans to break into three separate companies focused on healthcare, energy and aviation. GE Healthcare will be spun off in 2023, with GE retaining a 19.9 per cent stake in the unit. GE Renewable Energy, GE Power and GE Digital will be combined into one energy-focused company that will be spun off in 2024. Once these transactions are completed, the original GE will focus on aviation. The Nasdaq fell -0.60%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.65%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, DoorDash Inc (down -0.59%) - which posted both record revenue and orders in the third quarter as demand for delivery continued - also announced it is buying Finland food-delivery company Wolt in an all-stock deal worth more than >US$8B.