The Dow Jones industrial average fell 20 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,486 in early trading. The broad S&P 500 lost 1, or 0.1 percent, to 1,336. The Nasdaq composite gained 3, or 0.1 percent, to 2,823.
Ahead of the opening, futures for each stock index had pointed to early gains.
Auto parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc. fell 1.5 percent despite topping analysts' estimates after the company said that it expects its third-quarter revenue to drop by $500 million due to the massive earthquake in Japan. RadioShack Corp. lost nearly 4 percent after the company missed earnings estimates and said that its costs were rising.
Kimberly-Clark Corp., the maker of Kleenex and Huggies, lost 3.5 percent after missing earnings estimates and lowered its earnings expectations for the full year. The company said that it plans to raise prices to offset higher costs.
Commodities rose in early trading. Silver futures are up nearly 2 percent to $47 an ounce, while gold is up 0.2 percent to $1,506 an ounce.
Monday is light on new economic data. The Commerce Department said that home sales rose more than expected in March to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 300,000. That is still less than half of the 700,000-a-year pace that economists consider healthy.
Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola, and Exxon-Mobil are among the companies reporting earnings over the next five days. Movie rental company Netflix Inc. will release its earnings report after the market closes Monday
Strong earnings reports from big companies including Apple Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. lifted stocks across the market Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at another 2011 high. The 30-company index rose 52.45 points, or 0.4 percent, to 12,505.99.
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