S&P 500 opens flat after three-day decline

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened mostly flat on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 stabilizing after a three-session selloff as investors looked ahead to the start of corporate earnings season.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 27.81 points, or 0.17 percent, at 16,218.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 1.79 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,843.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 4.00 points, or 0.10 percent, at 4,083.75.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Nick Zieminski)