Stocks ease as investors shrug off victory by Greek party feared to shake up eurozone

NEW YORK – The U.S. stock market is opening slightly lower as investors shrug off an election victory by a Greece party opposed to that country's bailout plan.

The main focus in markets was Sunday's victory by Syriza, a left-wing party that has vowed to end Greece's painful austerity policies.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index eased five points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,046 in early U.S. trading Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 64 points, 0.4 percent, to 17,608.

In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 0.9 percent while the CAC-40 in France rose 0.4 percent. In Greece, the main stock market recouped some of its early losses to trade 3 percent lower.