Stocks were little changed in early trading Tuesday, struggling to hold Monday's big gains in the face of another downturn in Hong Kong that threatened to sap Wall Street's renewed confidence.
At 10 a.m., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.74 at 7,675.13 after recovering from an early 26-point dip. The barometer of 30 big companies bolted 232 points higher on Monday, its third biggest point gain ever.Broad-market measures were mixed, but little changed from Monday's closing levels.
Most Asian stock markets gained ground Tuesday except in Hong Kong, where profit-taking left its best-known market index sharply lower and made traders elsewhere nervous about the durability of recent price rebounds.
Tokyo shares turned lower, and markets in London and other European capitals showed early losses after Hong Kong's blue-chip Hang Seng index finished down 4.21 percent.