US stocks close lower, Nasdaq ends 5-day winning streak

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - Major indices in the US stock market closed Monday with losses.

The Dow Jones was down 162 points, or 0.52% to end the day at 31,175. The S&P 500 decreased 44 points, or 1.15%, to 3,854.

The Nasdaq plummeted 262 points, or 2.26%, to finish at 11,372 as the tech-heavy index ended its five day winning streak.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, soared 7.9% to 26.58.

The 10-year US Treasury yield decreased 3.1% to 3.004%.

The dollar index was up 1.1% to 108.22, posting a new 20-year record high level. The euro against the dollar fell to as low as $1.0034 at 3.55 a.m. EDT (1955GMT), its lowest level since Dec. 06, 2002, according to official figures.

Precious metals were on decline with gold losing 0.6% to $1,731 and silver decreasing 1.2% to $19.07.

After plummeting more than 8% last Tuesday, crude prices were once again in negative territory.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading at $106.62 per barrel for a 0.4% loss, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $103.62 -- down 1.1%.