US close: Stocks mixed at start of big week
US stocks finished mixed on Monday after a barrage of quarterly earnings from various technology heavyweights propelled the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 to fresh record closes on Friday.
Investors were also eyeing an interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday and the release of the monthly non-farm payrolls report at the end of the week.
The announcement of the White House's pick to take the reins at the Federal Reserve was also expected, on Thursday.
Ahead of those developments, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 0.36% at 23,348.74 and the S&P 500 lost 0.32% to 2,572.83, while the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.23% to 6,227.59.
“With the Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan and Bank of England all holding monetary policy meetings this week, there'll undoubtedly be a strong focus on central banks,” said Oanda analyst Craig Erlam earlier in the day.
“When it comes to the Fed though, it may not be the interest rate decision itself that attracts the most attention, rather President Donald Trump’s announcement on who will succeed Janet Yellen as Chair from February, with the incumbent still in the race.”
In corporate news, shares of homebuilder CalAtlantic rocketed 21.34% after agreeing a merger with peer Lennar Corp, in a deal worth around $9.3bn.
Wal-Mart Stores was 1.36% lower after it said that the chief of its UK Asda chain, Sean Clarke, would be stepping down at the end of the year and was to be succeeded by Roger Burnley.
On the M&A front, it emerged that Dynegy would merge with Vista Energy, while Axalta Coating Systems was likely to be in focus after Dutch Dulux maker Akzo Nobel confirmed that the two were in discussions about a merger.
As far as economic data was concerned, the Commerce Department reported that personal consumption expenditures rose by 1.0% month-on-month in September, ahead of consensus expectations for 0.8%, while income growth met forecasts with growth of 0.4%.
A key gauge of price pressures contained in that same report - the PCE price deflator - rose to a 1.6% clip in year-on-year terms, falling slightly short of the 1.7% rise economists had anticipated.
Monday's personal income and spending report also revealed a sharp drop in the savings rate to 3.1% from August's level of 3.6%.
Dow Jones - Risers
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $166.72 2.25%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $132.64 1.19%
Boeing Co. (BA) $259.24 1.09%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $114.39 0.75%
United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $119.88 0.64%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $166.23 0.51%
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $154.36 0.44%
Visa Inc. (V) $110.05 0.30%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $83.89 0.10%
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $83.93 -0.00%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $54.70 -6.06%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $47.83 -2.13%
General Electric Co. (GE) $20.41 -1.83%
3M Co. (MMM) $231.05 -1.58%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $209.39 -1.51%
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $86.94 -1.40%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $35.15 -1.26%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $139.96 -1.26%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $55.26 -1.23%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $165.31 -1.21%
S&P 500 - Risers
Mattel Inc. (MAT) $15.58 11.29%
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (DO) $17.30 9.49%
LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) $105.99 7.06%
CenturyLink Inc. (CTL) $18.40 5.26%
First Solar Inc. (FSLR) $60.43 4.79%
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $60.49 3.83%
Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $112.00 3.79%
Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) $13.86 3.66%
Qorvo, Inc. (QRVO) $76.25 3.43%
Broadcom Limited (AVGO) $261.23 3.29%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $54.70 -6.06%
Leggett & Platt Inc. (LEG) $47.20 -4.55%
Macy's Inc. (M) $18.84 -4.32%
L Brands Inc (LB) $42.82 -4.20%
Lennar Corp. Class A (LEN) $55.74 -4.02%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $105.26 -3.97%
H&R Block Inc. (HRB) $25.30 -3.69%
Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) $46.36 -3.68%
Signet Jewelers Ltd (SIG) $64.36 -3.59%
Robert Half International Inc. (RHI) $51.02 -3.48%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Dish Network Corp. (DISH) $48.39 4.09%
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $60.49 3.83%
Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $112.00 3.79%
Broadcom Limited (AVGO) $261.23 3.29%
Celgene Corp. (CELG) $100.97 2.85%
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $66.26 2.76%
Biogen Inc (BIIB) $315.80 2.62%
Shire Plc Ads (SHPG) $145.76 2.53%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $166.72 2.25%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $41.65 1.96%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
T-Mobile Us, Inc. (TMUS) $59.58 -5.35%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $105.26 -3.97%
Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) $39.30 -3.39%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $203.81 -2.97%
Expedia Inc. (EXPE) $120.21 -2.89%
Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) $75.27 -2.63%
NetEase Inc. Ads (NTES) $276.51 -2.48%
Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $164.41 -2.35%
PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) $70.45 -1.98%
Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $91.44 -1.90%