US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Wall Street opens lower on rising Middle East tensions

U.S. stocks opened lower on Monday as escalating tensions between the United States and Iran encouraged investors to seek refuge in safer assets such as gold and government bonds.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 169.38 points, or 0.59%, at the open to 28,465.50. The S&P 500 opened lower by 17.30 points, or 0.53%, at 3,217.55. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 77.27 points, or 0.86%, to 8,943.50 at the opening bell.