U.S. stocks open mixed on dollar moves

U.S. stocks opened mixed on Tuesday as investors assessed the impact of currency and data release.

Traders kept a close eye on the U.S. dollar, which had witnessed big swings recently. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, was up 0.03 percent at 97.066 in early Tuesday.

The focus is on dollar's moves as the strengthening dollar threatened to cut into U.S. multinational corporate earnings.

U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, in line with analysts' expectations, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. A recovery in energy prices during the month is likely to account for part of the rise.

The energy index rose after a long series of declines, increasing 1.0 percent as the gasoline index turned up after falling in recent months.

The so-called core CPI, the index for all items less food and energy, increased 0.2 percent in February, the same increase as in January.

Investors are pondering how the Federal Reserve will react to economic data, as a June interest rate increases from the central bank remains on the table.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 17.51 points, or 0.10 percent, to 18,098.53. The S&P 500 shed 1.24 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,103.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.73 points, or 0.01 percent, to 5,011.70. Endi