U.S. Stocks Close On Mixed Note; Nasdaq, S&P 500 Post Record Highs

(RTTNews) - Technology stocks had a good session on Wall Street on Monday although the broad market remained somewhat sluggish as investors looked ahead to upcoming economic data, including private and non-farm payroll reports, JOLTs, and readings on manufacturing activity, due during the course of this week.

Among the major averages, the Dow ended down 128.65 points or 0.29 percent at 44,782.00, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, both closed at record highs at 6,047.15 and 19,403.95, respectively. While the S&P 500 gained 14.77 points or 0.24 percent, the Nasdaq climbed 185.78 points or 0.97 percent.

Tesla gained more than 3 percent following a rating upgrade after the company announced it was rolling out an update for its "Full Self-Driving" driver-assistance software.

Intel rallied after the company said that its CEO Pat Gelsinger retired from the company effective December 1. Gelsinger's failure to respond to Nvidia's competitive edge and a lack of confidence in his turnaround plans are reported to be the reason for his exit from Intel.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc shares gained about 3 percent. Meta Platforms, Apple Inc, Microsoft Corporation, Amazon, Apple Inc., and Alphabet also closed higher.

Amgen, JPMorgan Chase, Honeywell, McDonalds, Verizon and Merck lost 1 to 2 percent.

On the economic front, the Institute for Supply Management released a report on Monday showing its reading on U.S. manufacturing increased by more than expected in the month of November but continued to indicate a contraction.

The ISM said its manufacturing PMI rose to 48.4 in November from 46.5 in October, although a reading below 50 still indicates contraction. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 47.5.

Construction spending in the U.S. increased more than expected in the month of October, according to a report released by the Commerce Department. The report said construction spending climbed by 0.4 percent to an annual rate of $2.174 trillion in October after inching up by 0.1 percent to a rate of $2.165 trillion in September. Economists had expected construction spending to rise by 0.2 percent.

In overseas trading, Asian stocks rose broadly on Monday after the release of robust Chinese factory activity data.

However, concerns over a broader trade war capped regional gains after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump demanded a commitment from the BRICS nations on using the dollar, warning they shouldn't move to create a new currency or endorse any other currency to replace the dollar.

After struggling for direction early on in the session, European stocks closed broadly higher on Monday as investors digested the latest batch of economic data, including reports on Eurozone and UK manufacturing activity, and continued to follow the political developments in France.