Dow falls slightly from record amid J&J vaccine pause

• Dow falls slightly from record amid J&J vaccine pause.
• Blockchain stocks rose.
• NovoCure surged about 50%.

(April 13) U.S. stocks opened mixed after a volatile premarket session Tuesday after public health agencies announced a temporary halt in the use of a COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson and inflation was stronger than analysts had forecast in March.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 62 points, 0.2%, to open near 33,684, while the S&P 500 gained 1 point to open near 4,129. The Nasdaq Composite index, which contains many of the stocks most in favor in a work-from-home world, added 65 points, 0.5%, to start trading near 13,915.

Johnson & Johnson shares slipped 2.4% after the opening bell. In other biotech news, shares of Novocure Ltd. skyrocketed after the tumor treatment company reported positive news on its lung cancer treatment. The consumer price index gained 2.6% for the year in March, the Labor Department said.