By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - US stocks closed lower Wednesday, extending losses to a second trading day in the new year.
The Dow declined 284 points, or 0.76%, to end the day at 37,430. The S&P 500 fell 38 points, or 0.8%, to 4,704 after trimming 0.57% during the previous session.
The Nasdaq plummeted 173 points, or 1.18%, to finish at 14,592. The tech-heavy index plummeted 1.63% on Tuesday.
The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, jumped almost 6.4% to 14.04. The 10-year US Treasury yield fell 0.64% to 3.920%.
The dollar index rose 0.28% to 102.48, while the euro remained steady at $1.0920 against the greenback.
Precious metals were in negative territory with gold losing 0.85% to $2,041 per ounce and silver trimming 2.9% to $22.98.
Oil prices were on the rise, with global benchmark Brent crude adding 3.36% to $78.44 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude increasing 3.7% to $72.98.