Stocks open mixed as Europe holds off on stimulus

Apple dropped $2.30 to $536.34. In separate interviews, CEO Tim Cook said Apple will produce one of its existing lines of Mac computers in the United States next year and will spend $100 million in 2013 to shift production of the line from China. The news comes a day after Apple's stock took its worst fall in four years, erasing $35 million from its market value.

Lululemon Athletica fell $1.21 to $67.38. The Canadian yoga wear maker said it expects sales growth to slow. Its fourth-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts also came in below Wall Street's expectations.

In the market for U.S. government bonds, the yield on the 10-year note slipped to 1.57 percent. That's down from 1.59 percent late Wednesday.

For the month, the S&P 500 is down 0.5 percent and the Dow is up 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq has lost 1.2 percent.