US stocks kick off new week with losses

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stock exchanges opened lower Tuesday to kick off the new week with losses.

The Dow Jones plummeted 215 points, or 0.57%, to 37,377 at 9.40 a.m. EDT. The S&P 500 fell 25 points, or 0.51%, to 4,759.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, meanwhile, dove 90 points, or 0.6%, to 14,882.

The New York Stock Exchange was closed on Monday due to the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, jumped 5.7% to 14.02. The 10-year US Treasury yield rose 1.8% to 4.022%.

The dollar index increased 0.77% to 103.19, while the euro shed 0.67% to $1.0875 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in negative territory with gold losing 0.8% to $2,037 per ounce and silver trimming 1.1% to $22.97.

Oil prices were mixed, with global benchmark Brent crude rising 0.1% to $78.22 per barrel but US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude losing 0.3% to $722.55 a barrel.