US stocks open slightly lower on week's first session

US stocks fell in the first trading session of this week, which will be a brief week in terms of trading, as most of the world's stock markets will shut down in observance of the "Good Friday" holiday.

Last Friday, corporations earning announcements for the first quarter started to flow in the US, as J.P. Morgan Chase posted record quarterly earnings and revenues, while Goldman Sachs announced today a decline in its profits.

In terms of trade negotiations, US Treasury Secretary Steve Manuchen said Washington and Beijing are close to reaching a trade agreement, referring to talks between the two countries via videoconference last week.

On the other hand, The US Federal Reserve Bank's minutes showed that the majority of the FOMC members felt the need to adopt a more patient approach before raising interest rates due to signs of a slowdown in growth in the US and global economies.

During trading, Dow Jones fell by 0.2% (56 points) to 26356 points, Nasdaq also slipped 0.3% (22 points) to 7962 points, as S&P fell by 0.1% (4 points) to 2902 points.