US stocks open mixed with disappointing private payroll figures

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US stock markets opened mixed on Wednesday as private payroll figures disappointed for the second straight month, coming in below market estimates.

The Dow Jones fell 47 points, or 0.15%, to open the day at 31,743 at 9.36 a.m. EDT (1436GMT).

The S&P 500, on the other hand, was flat, adding 2 points, or 0.04%, to 3,987.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 39 points, or 0.33%, to 11,922.

US private payrolls rose 132,000 in August, well below the market estimate of 288,000, according to an ADP Research Institute report released earlier.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, declined 0.9% to 25.97. The 10-year US Treasury yield was up 0.7% to 3.132%.

While the dollar index rose 0.2% to 108.98, the euro was down 0.1% to $1.0003 against the dollar.

Precious metals continued their decline, with gold falling 0.7% at $1,712 and silver plummeting 1.8% to $18.09.

Oil prices were down around 1.4%. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was at $96.37 per barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was around $90.23.