Wall Street falls at open on global slowdown fears

(Reuters) – U.S. stocks opened lower in the first session of the year as weak data in Asia and Europe confirmed fears of a global economic slowdown while the U.S. government shutdown dragged on.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 268.85 points, or 1.15 percent, at the open to 23,058.61. The S&P 500 .SPX opened lower by 29.89 points, or 1.19 percent, at 2,476.96. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 128.37 points, or 1.93 percent, to 6,506.91 at the opening bell.