NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday as market volatility continued after a steep sell-off in the previous week.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 61.71 points, or 0.25 percent, to 24,327.24. The S&P 500 was down 4.19 points, or 0.16 percent, at 2,628.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 8.89 points, or 0.13 percent, to 6,960.36.
Apple shares dipped about 1.5 percent in early trading, leading the laggards in the Dow. Both IBM and Microsoft stocks rose more than 1 percent, leading the gainers in the 30-stock index.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors traded lower shortly after the opening bell as real estate and financials underperformed while technology and communication services outperformed.
U.S. stocks suffered sharp losses in the week ending Dec. 7 as fears of a possible economic slowdown rattled investors.
For the past week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 4.5 percent, the S&P 500 erased 4.6 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 4.9 percent. Enditem
