US stocks opens mixed despite surge in tech, oil companies

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US stocks opened mixed on Tuesday to kick off the new week on a weak note as technology companies carried the Nasdaq higher but oil majors' gains failed to carry the Dow to positive territory.

The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 177 points, or 0.5%, to 35,191 at 9.42 a.m. EDT, while the S&P 500 fell 10 points, or 0.23%, to 4,524.

The Nasdaq increased 26 points, or 0.17%, to 15,390 with a rise in tech stocks. While Apple hit an all-time high of $155.60 per share with a 0.8% gain, Netflix soared almost 2% to a record high of $602.01.

ExxonMobil and Chevron added 0.35% and 0.15%, respectively, while ConocoPhillips gained 0.1% despite the decline in oil prices.

Brent crude was at $72.14 per barrel with a 0.1% loss and West Texas Intermediate fell 0.8% to $68.73.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, jumped 9.4% to 17.96. The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes rose 3.4% to 1.366%.

The dollar index was also up -- increasing 0.36% to 92.37.

Precious metals, on the other hand, showed losses of around 0.8% with gold falling to $1,809 per ounce and silver declining to $24.48.

The New York Stock Exchange was closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday.