US equities start off the new week with losses

The VIX volatility index, popularly known as the fear index, rose 5.7% to 14.02.

US stock exchanges began lower on Tuesday, kicking off the new week with losses.

The Dow Jones fell 215 points, or 0.57%, to 37,377 at 9:40 a.m. EDT. The S&P 500 index slid 25 points, or 0.51%, to 4,759.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, meanwhile, fell 90 points, or 0.6%, to 14,882.

The New York Stock Exchange was closed on Monday to mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The VIX volatility index, commonly called the fear index, rose 5.7% to 14.02. The 10-year US Treasury yield increased 1.8% to 4.022%.

The dollar index rose 0.77% to 103.19, while the euro fell 0.67% to $1.0875 versus the dollar.

Precious metals were in the red, with gold down 0.8% to $2,037 per ounce and silver down 1.1% to $22.97.

Oil prices were mixed, with global benchmark Brent crude up 0.1% to $78.22 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude down 0.3% to $722.55.