US stocks were led lower Tuesday by energy and metals producers, erasing an earlier rally and masking gains made in airline shares as the price of oil hit its lowest level in five months.
Alcoa Inc, Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp all lost more than 3 per cent as crude oil for October delivery fell 5 per cent to 109.71 dollars per barrel.
But the share price of Delta Air Lines surged 13 per cent and AMR Corp, parent company of American Airlines, jumped 11 per cent. Automaker General Motors Corp rose more than 6 per cent.
Technology stocks were led lower by Ebay Inc after an analyst forecast lower share prices for the internet auctioneer.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 26.63 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 11,516.92. The broad-based Standard & Poor's 500 Index dipped 5.25 points, or
0.41 per cent, to 1,277.58. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index slid 18.28 points, or 0.77 per cent, to 2,349.24.
The US currency rose to 68.82 euro cents from 68.15 euro cents on Friday. The dollar fell against the Japanese currency to 108.55 yen from 108.80 yen on Friday.
Gold fell to 810.50 dollars from 835.20 dollars per fine ounce on Friday.
Shares fell 2.1 per cent Friday on the Seoul stock exchange on general recession fears. South Korea's won dropped against the dollar.
When the Spirit rover landed on Mars five years ago, no one expected it or its sister rover Opportunity to make it to their first birthdays, let alone their fifth.
Amelie Mauresmo fell victim to a leg injury after less than half an hour on court Friday to hand over a 4-0 victory which put French compatriot Marion Bartoli into the final of the Brisbane International.
Mumbai-based movie Slumdog Millionaire won five prizes Thursday night at the Critics Choice Awards, cementing its position as a surprise favourite just as the Oscar season moves into high gear.
After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.