Stocks were little changed at the open on Tuesday in what was expected to be a light-volume session following a 5 percent rally over four trading sessions last week.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 19.03 points, or 0.15 percent, to 12,274.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 2.24 points, or 0.18 percent, to 1,263.09. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 5.64 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,613.00.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Dow jones Dow jones