U.S. Stocks Open Lower Amid Plunging Oil Prices

U.S. stocks opened lower on Tuesday, as another sharp drop in oil prices and turmoil in Russian markets sent investors to pile into havens. Treasurys and Japanese yen rallied, while equity markets around the globe sold off. Russian currency plunged despite central bank's hiking of the rates to 17% overnight. Reaction to U.S. economic releases was largely muted. The S&P 500 opened 11 points, or 0.6%, lower at 1,979. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 78 points, or 0.5%, to 17,100. The Nasdaq Composite began the day with a loss of 27 points, or 0.6%, at 4,578.