New York (AFP) – Wall Street stocks dipped in opening trading Tuesday as Americans began to cast their ballots to settle a contentious US presidential race that polls suggest will be close.

The early losses followed a more than 2 percent surge in US stocks Monday as the S&P 500 broke a nine-day losing streak on increased confidence in Democrat Hillary Clinton’s chances of victory. Six minutes into trading Tuesday, the S&P 500 was down 0.3 percent at 2,124.78.