U.S. stocks fell half a percent at the open on Wednesday, following three days of gains, after data showed core inflation posted its biggest gain in a year in January, stoking fears of faster-than-expected increases in interest rates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 103.85 points, or 0.42 percent, to 24,536.6. The S&P 500 .SPX lost 11.22 points, or 0.421339 percent, to 2,651.72. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 31.37 points, or 0.45 percent, to 6,982.14.

U.S stock futures had fallen by more than 1 percent after the data was released. Futures were higher ahead of the data.