US stock exchanges shed around 2% monthly in August

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stocks closed Thursday mixed, but major exchanges logged around 2% monthly losses in August.

The Dow Jones fell 168 points, or 0.48%, to finish the day at almost 34,721. The blue-chip index posted a 2.4% decline this month.

The S&P 500 shed seven points, or 0.16%, to end the session at 4,507, while the index lost 1.8% in August.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, on the other hand, increased 15 points, or 0.11%, to close Thursday at 14,034, while diving 2.2% during the month.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, plummeted 2.3% to 13.56, while the 10-year US Treasury yield fell 0.53% to 4.102%.

The dollar index rose 0.44% to 103.62, and the euro fell 0.72% to $1.0845 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in negative territory, with gold trimming 0.1% to $1,940 per ounce and silver decreasing 0.8% to $24.43.

Oil prices were up by around 2%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $86.80 per barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at $83.56.