NEW YORK: US stocks opened mixed near the flatline Tuesday as investors braced for the first-quarter earnings season, with the unofficial kickoff by Dow member Alcoa after the closing bell.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 10.98 points (0.08 percent) to 12,918.61 in opening trade.
The broader S&P 500 inched down 0.31 point (0.02 percent) to 1,381.89, while the tech-rich Nasdaq rose 5.50 points (0.18 percent) to 3,052.58.
"The market often goes into a sideways pattern early in earnings season," said Dick Green at Briefing.com.
"Banks are over-represented in the early reports, and there is some nervousness over the sector."
Dow member JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo report earnings Friday.
The Wall Street action followed Monday's sell-off, leaving the Dow down 1.0 percent, as the market got its first chance to react to the government's disappointing March labor data, released when the US markets were closed for Good Friday.