US stocks open lower

The major US stock indices are opening marginally lower. Each of the indices are down for four consecutive days. All the indices are down for the month as well with the NASDAQ index leading the way it down -8.4%. The last time the indices were down in December were in 2018.

A snapshot of the markets currently shows:

• Dow Industrial Average -34.66 points or -0.11% at 32722.89
• S&P index -12.07 points or -0.32% at 3805.58
• NASDAQ index -59.69 points or -0.57% at 10486.34
• Russell 2000-3.913 points or -0.23% at 1734.66

for the month of December, all the major indices are lower:

• Dow Industrial Average -5.23%
• S&P index -6.62%
• NASDAQ NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market or NASDAQ is an American stock exchange. It trails only the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in market capitalization and is part of a network of stock markets and options exchanges.Launched back in 1971, NASDAQ is the acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. Since then it is known simply as NASDAQ and has become one of the most influential exchanges worldwide.The NASDAQ was the world’s first electronic stock market, and has since ass The Nasdaq Stock Market or NASDAQ is an American stock exchange. It trails only the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in market capitalization and is part of a network of stock markets and options exchanges.Launched back in 1971, NASDAQ is the acronym for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. Since then it is known simply as NASDAQ and has become one of the most influential exchanges worldwide.The NASDAQ was the world’s first electronic stock market, and has since ass Read this Term index -8.4%
• Russell 2000-8.01%

In the US the debt market today, yields are higher as debt markets respond to Bank of Japan's ratcheting up of its yield curve control to 0.5% from 0.25% in the 10 year yield:

• two year yield Yield A yield represents the earnings generated by an investment or security over a certain time period. Yields are typically displayed in percentage terms and are in the form of interest or dividends received from it.These figures do not include the price variations, which separates it from the total return. Consequently, a yield applies to various stated rates of return on stocks, fixed income instruments such as bonds, and other types of investment products.Yields can be calculated as a ratio or as A yield represents the earnings generated by an investment or security over a certain time period. Yields are typically displayed in percentage terms and are in the form of interest or dividends received from it.These figures do not include the price variations, which separates it from the total return. Consequently, a yield applies to various stated rates of return on stocks, fixed income instruments such as bonds, and other types of investment products.Yields can be calculated as a ratio or as Read this Term 4.302% +4.0 basis points
• five year yield 3.803% +8.7 basis points
• 10 year yield 3.69% +10.0 basis points
• 30 year yield 3.742% +10.3 basis points

in other markets:

• Spot gold is trading up $20 or 1.13% at $1807.50
• Spot silver is up $0.80 or 3.53% at $23.78
• Crude oil is trading up $0.45 at $75.82
• Bitcoin is trading at $16,816. That is up from the low of $16,402