U.S. stock market indexes were mixed in Tuesday's early trading.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced less than one-tenth of a percent. The S&P 500 dropped less than one-tenth of a percent. And the NASDAQ slipped three-tenths of a percent.

European stock markets were lower in afternoon trading. London's Financial Times 100 index dipped 1 percent. The CAC-40 in Paris and the DAX in Frankfurt slid about 1.3 percent.

Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index dropped 1.4 percent to finish at 9,926. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index plunged 3 percent to finish the day's trading at 21,663.

The price of gold fell more than $2 to trade at $1,551.36 an ounce.

The dollar was lower against the yen but higher versus the euro.