Markets opened the week on a quietly constructive note Monday, with all major indices posting modest gains across the board. The S&P 500 rose 0.47% to close at 6,595.89, while the Nasdaq led the charge with a 0.60% advance to 21,362.55. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.37%, settling at 46,382.93, and small caps kept pace as the Russell 2000 climbed 0.43% to 2,513.51.
The session had the feel of a market trying to find its footing — not a blowout rally, but a steady grind higher that kept bulls cautiously encouraged. Healthcare was a relative bright spot, with UnitedHealth rising 1.48% to $281.36, suggesting investors may be rotating toward defensive names with pricing power.
On the other end of the ledger, Tesla slipped 2.15% to $352.82, standing out as one of the session's more notable drags. The EV giant has faced persistent questions around volume growth and margin sustainability, and Monday offered no reprieve.
Gold continued to command attention, with prices at $4,669.94 — a level that underscores ongoing appetite for hard assets even as equities push higher. The simultaneous strength in both stocks and gold hints at a market navigating genuine uncertainty beneath a calm surface.