By Aysu Bicer
ANKARA (AA) - US stocks opened Wednesday red as investors remain cautious about tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The tensions continue to put pressure on markets as investors find it challenging to evaluate Moscow’s claim that some forces are being withdrawn.
The Dow Jones lost 103.27 points, or 0.30% to reach 34,885 at 9.37 a.m. EDT while the S&P 500 fell 0.41% or 18.20 points to 4,452.
The Nasdaq finished down 0.69%, decreasing 97.16 points to 14,042 after the opening bell.
The US retail sales in January rose above market expectations, according to figures released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday.
Retail sales came in at $649.8 billion, increasing 3.8% from the previous month’s revised figure of $626.3 billion.
The VIX volatility index was up 2.49% to 26.34.
The dollar index fell 0.14% to 95.855, and the yield on 10-year US Treasury declined three basis points to 2.02%.
Gold added 0.3% to $1,861 per ounce.
Brent crude was trading at $91.14 per barrel with a 0.4% gain, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at $93.53, up 1.6%.