Wall Street flat, as European shares drop

US held steady today as investors played it safe on the day before US citizens choose their president and as Greece headed into two key votes to secure further rescue funds.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 5.26 points, or 0.04 percent, at 13,098.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.02 points, or 0.07 percent, at 1,415.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 12.40 points, or 0.42 percent, at 2,994.53.

European shares fell, as mounting provisions at HSBC hit banks while political doubts in Greece also dented equities, with investors avoiding taking large, new positions before the US election.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed down 0.6 percent at 1,108.58 points while the euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index declined by 1.2 percent to 2,517.67 points.

Japan's Nikkei fell, as the yen recouped some earlier losses, prompting investors to take profits from last week's gain while investors shunned risk before the winner of a tightly fought US election is known.

The Nikkei was down 0.5 percent to 9,007.44, while the broader Topix was 0.6 percent lower at 747.95.