US stocks open lower as midterms race continues

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US stocks opened lower on Wednesday as the ballot counting in the midterm elections remains underway.

Americans headed to polling centers for the vote on Tuesday in which all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate are being contested.

Republicans have won 199 seats in the chamber, compared to 178 for Democrats, while the fight to take control of the Senate remains toe-to-toe, according to CNN figures.

The Dow Jones fell 206 points, or 2.1%, to 32,954 at 9.36 a.m. EDT, while the S&P 500 lost 31 points, or 0.82%, to 3797.

The Nasdaq decreased 112 points, or 1%, to 10,505.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 0.16% to 25.50. The 10-year US Treasury yield, on the other hand, gained 0.66% to 4.155%.

The dollar index increased 0.48% to 110.17, still around its highest in 20 years, while the euro shed 0.48% to $1.0024 against the greenback.

Precious metals slightly gained, with gold adding 0.1% to $1,714 and silver increasing 0.05% to $21.37.

Oil prices were on the decline, with global oil benchmark Brent crude trading at $93.88 per barrel, down 1.5%. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was around $87.47 – down 1.6%.