Major US stock indexes closed lower Thursday, despite a strong opening. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 29 points, or 0.08%, to 35,897. The S&P 500 was down 41, or 0.87%, to 4,668.

The Nasdaq plummeted 385 points, or 2.47%, to 15,180 with a selloff in tech companies' stocks.

Although the VIX volatility index was down after the opening bell, the fear index reversed course and rose 6.6% to 20.57.

The dollar index was down 0.55% to 95.98, and the yield on 10-year US Treasury notes declined 2.36% to 1.428%.

Precious metals were on the rise, with gold adding 1.24% to $1,798 per ounce and silver increasing 1.8% to $22.47.

Crude prices were up around 1%, with Brent crude trading at $74.59 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude at $71.92./agencies