[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks fell modestly in opening trading Wednesday as markets attempted to get a reading on investor sentiment following a series of massive swings in the last three sessions.

About three minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 24,897.88, down 0.1 per cent.

The broad-based S&P 500 dipped 0.2 per cent to 2,690.35, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.4 per cent to 7,08696.

After more than a year of tranquility and a steady upward climb, the violent market swings in recent days has reestablished volatility as a force in US stocks.

The Dow on Tuesday finished up 2.3 per cent after a swing of almost 1,200 points between its peak and nadir during the session, following Monday's session which saw the biggest point decline on record.

AFP