Monday's session told a tale of two markets. The S&P 500 slipped a modest 0.20% to close at 7,094.29, while the Nasdaq underperformed, falling 0.32% to 23,478.48 as heavyweight technology stocks came under pressure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average barely budged, eking out a gain of 0.02% to finish at 49,121.57 — essentially flat on the session.
The real story was in small caps. The Russell 2000 outperformed all major indices, rising 0.57% to 2,762.41, suggesting investors may be rotating away from richly valued mega-cap tech and toward more domestically oriented, smaller companies.
Meta Platforms was the session's most prominent drag, falling 2.56% to $670.91 and pulling the Nasdaq lower. In contrast, JPMorgan Chase stood out as the day's top performer, adding 2.16% to reach $316.99 — a sign that financials continue to attract buyers even as growth names falter.
Gold remained a standout story, with the precious metal holding at a striking $4,827.62 per ounce, underscoring persistent demand for hard assets as investors navigate an uncertain macro landscape.