Energy stocks lead an early decline as oil sinks

Energy stocks are leading a slight decline in U.S. market indexes in midday trading as the price of oil resumes its slide.

Exxon Mobil and Chevron were among the biggest decliners in the Dow Jones industrial average Monday.

McDonald’s fell 3 percent after reporting that a measure of global sales fell last month.

The Dow was down 14 points, or 0.1 percent, at 17,944 as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell two points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,073. The Nasdaq composite edged up three points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,784.

Benchmark crude oil dropped $2.62, or 4 percent, to $63.24 a barrel in New York.

Bond prices edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.29 percent.

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Energy stocks lead an early decline as oil sinks."