(MENAFN- AFP) US stocks Friday opened slightly lower as investors eyed negotiations between the United States and Russia ahead of Sunday's referendum vote in Ukraine.Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was essentially flat, slipping 0.32 point to 16,108.57.The broad-based SandP 500 edged down 1.43 (0.08 percent) to 1,844.91, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 7.95 (0.19 percent) to 4,252.47.US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in London ahead of Sunday's vote in Crimea on whether to secede from Ukraine. The US and Western allies want Russia to pull back troops from the region."With the trying situation in Ukraine, it shouldn't come as a surprise if participants look to take some money off the table ahead of the weekend or, at least, show some reluctance to take new positions," said Patrick O'Hare, analyst at Briefing.com.
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