The U.S. stock market is maintaining its decline Wednesday following negative U.S. retail data for September and increasing tensions surrounding trade. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that is in support of the protesters in Hong Kong, who are pro-democracy. China's Foreign Ministry immediately disagreed with the passing of the bill and has threatened retaliation.

Here's how the U.S. stock market closed Wednesday:

S&P 500 Index (SPY): -0.20% or 5.99 points

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA): -0.084% or 22.82 points

NASDAQ Composite Index (QQQ): -0.30% or 24.52 points

Named the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, part of the bill stated that the U.S. State Department would be required to annually review whether Hong Kong has remained autonomous from China to justify its special trading status with the U.S. The bill lays a framework for sanctions against officials that threaten freedom and autonomy in Hong Kong.

In a response statement, China's Foreign Ministry released a statement that translates to: "if the relevant bill is finally passed into law, it will not only harm the interests of the Chinese side, but also damage Sino-U.S. relations, and it will seriously damage the interests of the United States."

The evidence is clear that U.S. and China have fundamental issues in the way they view each other. These issues have been the driving force behind the various disagreements throughout the ongoing trade war and demonstrate that the issues cannot be solved with a few negotiatory meetings.

In Brexit news, British and European Union officials have resumed talks Wednesday, leaving European stocks mixed over the uncertain outcomes that will come from these meetings.

In U.S. Economic news, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Wednesday that retail sales have declined in September, suggesting that there has been a slowdown in key domestic consumer activity. Retail sales fell 0.3% in September from August.

In Stock Sector news, there has been little growth and change after market close Wednesday. Gainers for the day are Consumer Discretionary +0.41%, Materials +0.30%, Utilities +0.24%, Communication Services +0.15%, and Consumer Staples +0.09%. The losers included Energy -1.49%, Information Technology -0.71%, Financials -0.24%, Real Estate -0.12%, Health Care -0.12% and Industrials -0.04%.

Finally, in commodity news, Brent Crude is gaining Wednesday, with prices increasing +0.39%, costing $59.13 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate was not far behind with prices increasing +0.34%, resting at $53.08. The price of gold increased +0.69% to costing $1,493.80 per ounce.