US stocks open Monday mixed in short session

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) – The US stock market opened Monday mixed to kick off a short session before the observance of Independence Day on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones fell 68 points, or 0.2%, to 34,339 at 9:54 am EDT (1354GMT).

The S&P 500 was down just two points, or 0.05%, to remain flat at 4,448.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, increased 29 points, or 0.21%, to 13,817 at the time.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, rose 1.4% to 13.78. The 10-year US Treasury yield, meanwhile, fell 0.05% to 3.817%.

The dollar index was flat at 102.93, while the euro remained unchanged at $1.0912 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in positive territory, with gold rising 0.3% to $1,926 per ounce and silver increasing 1.1% to $23.02.

Oil prices were down around 0.3%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $75.19 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $70.31.

The New York Stock Exchange will close Monday early at 1:00 pm EDT and will remain closed on Tuesday due to the observance of Independence Day.