Stocks opened slightly lower on Monday and the S&P 500 slid further toward a technical danger zone near its April low after five weeks of losses.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> shed 2.34 points, or 0.02 percent, to 12,148.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 1.45 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,298.71. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 2.18 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,734.96.

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