Treasury yields cast a cloud over the traditionally strong year-end rally for equities.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 128.3 points, or 0.30%, at the open to 42,863.86.
The S&P 500 fell 50.2 points, or 0.84%, at the open to 5,920.67, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 261.6 points, or 1.33%, to 19,460.413 at the opening bell.