NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday as tensions between Iran and the United States escalated after U.S. forces killed a top Iranian military leader last week, sparkling geopolitical worries.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 169.99 points, or 0.59 percent, to 28,464.89. The S&P 500 was down 16.17 points, or 0.50 percent, to 3,218.68. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 62.86 points, or 0.70 percent, to 8,957.91.
Of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors, financials fell more than 0.7 percent in morning trading, leading the laggards. Energy, however, rose 0.5 percent shortly after the opening, outpacing the rest.
The United States killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Quds Force, in an airstrike in Baghdad on Friday, escalating tensions in the Middle East.
U.S. equities posted mixed results in the week ending last Friday as geopolitical risks loom. For the week, the Dow lost less than 0.1 percent, S&P 500 declined 0.2 percent, and the Nasdaq gained 0.2 percent. Enditem
