US stock market opens lower as Ukraine war deepens

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US stocks opened lower Tuesday as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to deepen.

The Dow Jones was down 334 points, or 1%, to 33,558 at 10.10 a.m. EDT. The S&P 500 lost 29 points, or 0.67%, to 4,344.

The Nasdaq declined 74 points, or 0.54%, to 13,678 despite finishing the previous session in positive territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's most important targets are the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Russian forces have continued their attacks on multiple cities across Ukraine, including firing cruise missiles.

Amid the deepening tension, the VIX volatility index rose 5.8% to 31.82, while the dollar index increased 0.51% to 97.20.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes plummeted 4.67% to 1.753%.

Precious metals were on the rise as safe haven assets, with gold gaining 0.6% to $1,920 per ounce and silver reaching $24.9 -- adding 1.8%.

Oil prices have had a massive increase. Brent crude was trading at $103.85 per barrel with a 6% gain, and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $101.6 with a 6.2% increase.