U.S. stock market indexes declined in Monday's midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 1.2 percent, the S&P 500 fell 1.3 percent, and the NASDAQ lost 1.4 percent.

European stock markets were lower at the close of trading. London's Financial Times 100 index lost 1.6 percent to close at 5,753. The CAC-40 in Paris moved down 2 percent to end at 3,651 and the DAX in Frankfurt slid 1.6 percent to reach 7,108.

Earlier in Asia, Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped three-tenths of one percent to end at 21,805.

The price of gold rose $10 to trade at $1,603.60 an ounce, rising above $1,600 for the first time Monday.

The dollar was lower against the yen but made gains compared to the euro.