Stocks open lower following losses in Europe

NEW YORK — Stock prices are opening slightly lower after losses in Europe.

Overseas markets slipped Thursday after the European Central Bank didn’t announce new measures to support the region’s flagging economy.

In the U.S., Barnes & Noble plunged 9 percent after the company said it was ending its commercial agreement with Microsoft for its Nook e-book reader.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 24 points, or 0.1 percent, 17,886 as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index declined four points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,070. The Nasdaq composite fell a point to 4,770.

Crude oil lost 79 cents to $66.59 a barrel in New York.

Government bond prices were flat. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at 2.28 percent.