U.S. stocks were mixed as Tuesday's trading opened.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 19 points to hit 10,697. The S&P 500 edged down one point to reach 1,201, while the NASDAQ was up two points at 2,084.
European share prices are mixed in midday trading. London's Financial Times index posted a slight gain, while the CAC-40 in Paris, and the DAX index in Frankfurt lost two-tenths of a percent or more.
Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index lost nine points to close at 11,490. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index moved up 51 points to finish at 13,846.
The price of gold is down nearly two dollars, trading at 411 dollars and 79 cents an ounce in New York.
The dollar in London is higher against the yen and the euro.
