U.S. Stocks Sell-Off at Open, Rattled by Protests in Hong Kong

U.S. stocks opened sharply lower Monday on worries over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The Hang Sang Index is down nearly 2%, falling to its worst level since July. The protests intensified in Hong Kong shutting down some businesses and local banks. The commerce department reported personal income rose 0.3% in August, in line with forecasts. Consumer spending was also up rising 0.5% last month, just above economist expectations. DreamWorks Animation (DWA) was up sharply in early trading. The company is reportedly in talks to be acquired by Japan's SoftBank. Yahoo's (YHOO) CEO Marissa Mayer had all weekend to review a letter from activist investor Starboard Value urging her to merge with AOL (AOL). Shares of both stocks started the trading week lower.