MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks Pare Opening Losses

By Barbara Kollmeyer and Anora Mahmudova, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks pared opening losses on Monday as investors assessed the impact of escalating war in Gaza and possible sanctions against Russia.

The death toll inside Gaza mounted over the weekend as Israel stepped up its ground war, while European policy makers debated tougher sanctions against Russia in the wake of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet.

The S&P 500 (SPX) was 4.6 points, or 0.2%, lower at 1,973.57, with 9 of 10 sectors in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) shed 42 points, or 0.2%, to 17,058.19. The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) slipped by 5.6 points, or 0.1% at 4,426.46.

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Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial, said that investors do not react to geopolitical news unless they think it would impact earnings potential of companies.

"There is a notion that markets are callous to horrendous events in Gaza and Ukraine, but markets are not think-tanks. At the end of the day, it's all about companies' abilities to earn a profit," Krosby said.

There are no economic events for Monday and a scant amount of earnings, leaving investors to face down a weekend of rising global tensions. On Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry was caught on an open microphone, ahead of interviews with Sunday talk shows, criticizing Israeli's Gaza operation after the deadliest day of fighting for both sides since the conflict began.

European threats of tougher sanctions against Russia weighed on stocks in the region. In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press", Kerry said a "buildup of extraordinary circumstantial evidence" is pointing to Russia as the source of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, killing 298 people.

International anger is growing over the inability of experts to reach the crash site, as bodies languish in railcars without any clear plan as to the destination. European leaders threatened consequences against Russia if the Kremlin did not allow investigators free and unhindered access to the crash site.

Also read: Why markets shrug off Malaysia Airlines plane crash, Gaza and other geopolitifal flashpoints

European stocks fell on Monday. Russia's blue-chip MICEX index dropped 2.7%, moving below 1,400. Should that hold, it would close below that level for the first time since mid-May, according to FactSet. Asian markets closed mixed.

Among commodities, gold (GCQ4) moved higher, while oil (CLQ4) was also marginally up. Small caps' slump, Ukraine fears may hold up market

Earnings reports

Hasbro Inc.(HAS) fell 3% after the toymaker posted an 8% rise in revenue, but missed revenue estimates.

Shares of EMC Corp.(EMC) jumped 4.3% on reports Elliott Management Corp. has taken a stake of more than $1 billion in the data-storage giant and plans to push it toward a breakup.

GoPro Inc. (GPRO) shares rose 3.8% after J.P. Morgan initiated coverage of the wearable camera maker with an overweight rating. At least five banks have started coverage of the stock in recent days. For more on notable movers, read Movers & Shakers column.

Results from Netflix Inc. (NFLX),Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. will come after the close of regular trading. Netflix, Chipotle, TI are Monday's stocks to watch.

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