US stock market opens mixed Monday to kick off 2nd quarter

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stock exchanges opened mixed Monday to kick off the first trading day of the second quarter.

The Dow Jones jumped 286 points, or 0.86%, to 33,560 at 9.52 a.m. EDT. The blue-chip index gained 0.38% in the first quarter, while it increased 1.89% during the month of March.

The S&P 500 rose 10 points, or 0.25% to 4,119. The index increased 7% during the January-March period, while it rose 3.5% last month.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, decreased 29 points, or 0.24%, to 12,192. The tech-heavy index jumped 16.7% during January-March period. It rose 6.7% in March.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, jumped 3.6% to 19.38, and the 10-year US Treasury yield lost 0.05% to at 3.488%.

The dollar index fell 0.24% to 102.25, while the euro rose 0.44% to $1.0887 against the greenback.

Precious metals were mixed, with gold adding 0.4% to $1,977 per ounce, but silver trimming 0.6% to $23.94.

Crude oil prices soared more than 6%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $85.02 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $80.58.