S&P 500 Index opens modestly lower as energy shares slide

• Wall Street's main indexes trade mixed on Tuesday.
• Energy shares decline as crude oil prices turn negative on the day.
• Technology stocks post small gains after the opening bell.

Following Monday's choppy session, major equity indexes started the second day of the week on a mixed note amid varying performances of major sectors. As of writing, the S&P 500 is losing 0.12% on the day at 4,158, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is falling 0.15% at 34,286 and the Nasdaq Composite is rising 0.25% at 13,346.

Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, the Energy Index is down nearly 1% on the day pressured by a 0.4% decline in US crude oil prices. On the other hand, the Technology Index is up 0.2%, allowing the tech-sensitive Nasdaq Composite to stay in the positive territory. 

The only data from the US showed on Tuesday that Housing Starts in April declined by 9.5% and Building Permits increase by 0.3%. The Real Estate Index is down 0.6% after this report.

S&P 500 chart (daily)