NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed at the open on Monday weak economic data from Europe and China kept a lid on shares after the S&P 500 posted its best daily gain since December.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 17.71 points, or 0.14 percent, to 12,862.38. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shed 0.72 points, or 0.05 percent, to 1,361.44. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dipped 2.54 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,932.51.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, editing by Dave Zimmerman)