U.S. stocks suffered their worst decline since December 11 on their first day of trading in 2014 as investors booked profits in the wake of the S&P 500's best yearly advance since 1997, with many of last year's strongest performers down on the day.
After closing 2013 with a gain of 29.6 percent, its best yearly performance since 1997, the S&P 500 opened the year with a decline of 0.89 percent, as each of the ten major S&P sectors lost ground.
Market volume, already expected to be on the light side as many market participants remain out of the office due to the New Year's holiday-interrupted week, will likely be anemic after a snowstorm caused more than 2,000 U.S. flight delays and cancellations, paralysed road travel, and closed schools and government offices.
"After a first trading day jolt, the market is stabilizing and, where we are now, it could easily be swayed in either direction due to lack of attendance from the inclement weather," said Andre Bakhos, managing director at Janlyn Capital LLC in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
"There is a faction of investors that are looking at yesterday's pullback as an opportunity to enter equities at a discounted price."
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 56.13 points or 0.34 percent, to 16,497.48, the S&P 500 gained 4.68 points or 0.26 percent, to 1,836.66 and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.515 points or 0.06 percent, to 4,145.584.
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