Stocks slip at open, headed for worst quarter since 2008

Wall Street fell early March 23, 2020 as Congress wrangled over a massive stimulus package while the Federal Reserve unveiled new emergency programs to boost the economy including with unlimited bond buying. About 45 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6 percent at 19,053.17, and the broad-based S&P 500 also fell 0.6 percent to 2,290.31 after regaining some ground lost just after the open. | Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

NEW YORK — Stocks are opening slightly lower on Wall Street as investors close out a brutal month of March. The S&P 500 is headed for its biggest quarterly decline since the last quarter of 2008. For the Dow, it could be the worst three-month period since late 1987. After dropping sharply for two weeks, the market rallied recently on moves by central banks and governments to boost their economies, but the mood among investors still appears closely linked to evidence of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Oil prices rose a day after dropping to their lowest level since 2002.