US: Stocks open flat on mixed overseas data

[NEW YORK] US stocks opened little changed on Monday following mixed manufacturing data from Europe and China.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 17,387.82, down 2.70 points (0.02 per cent).

The broad-based S&P 500 rose 1.79 (0.09 per cent) to 2,019.40, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite added 5.59 (0.12 per cent) at 4,636.33.

Activity in the eurozone's manufacturing sector rose to 50.6 from 50.3 in September, according to a survey of purchasing managers. The final measure was slightly below the preliminary estimate of 50.7 released in October.

Over the weekend, China's official purchasing managers index came in at 50.8 in October compared with 51.1 in September, raising concerns about slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy.

Analysts said US equity markets were poised for a quieter day after bolting to records Friday following surprise monetary stimulus in Japan.

AFP