US stocks start week on lower note

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - Major indices on the New York Stock Exchange opened in negative territory Tuesday to kick off a new week.

The Dow was down 393 points, or 1.2%, to 32,819 points at 9.33 a.m. EDT (1333GMT). The S&P 500 fell 35, or 0.85%, to 4,123.

The Nasdaq was off 77 points, or 0.64%, to 12,053.

The New York Stock Exchange was closed Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, was up 4.4% to 27.70.

The dollar index added 0.4% to 102.08 and the 10-year US Treasury yield rose 3.4% to 2.842%.

Precious metals were down with gold losing 0.2% to $1,852 and silver falling 0.7% to $21.85.

Crude prices were on the rise. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading at $119.92 for a 2% gain, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $119.31 -- a 1.8% increase.