US stocks start June on lower note

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - Major indices on the New York Stock Exchange opened in negative territory Wednesday to start June.

The Dow was down 215 points, or 0.65%, to 32,773 points at 9.34 a.m. EDT (1334GMT). The S&P 500 fell 34, or 0.8%, to 4,099.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was off 79 points, or 0.66%, to 12,002.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, was up 3.2% to 27.02.

The dollar index added 0.7% to 102.50 and the 10-year US Treasury yield rose 0.9% to 2.928%.

Precious metals were up with gold adding 0.1% to $1,839 and silver rising 0.8% to $21.71.

Crude prices were also on the rise. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading at $117.22 for a 1.4% gain, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $116.12 -- a 1.2% increase.