Worries about a potential military strike against Syria are dragging down the US stock market in early trading.
Tension is rising between Syria and the West after US Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday there is "undeniable" evidence of a chemical weapons attack in the Middle East nation. And Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today that US forces are ready to act on any order from President Obama.
The Dow Jones industrial average slid 108 points to 14,837 in the first few minutes of trading today.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 14 points at 1,641. The Nasdaq composite fell 39 points at 3,618.
Investments that are considered safer in times of uncertainty rose. Gold and government bond prices climbed. Oil jumped 3 percent.
