Markets opened the new week on a cautious note Monday, with all four major indices finishing in the red in what amounted to a quiet but persistently negative session. The S&P 500 eked out a near-flat decline, settling at 7,738.03, down just 0.03% — barely a scratch. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.12% to close at 53,559.44, while the Nasdaq Composite fell a more notable 0.30% to 26,167.58 as tech names faced renewed selling pressure.
Small caps bore the brunt of Monday's weakness. The Russell 2000 dropped 0.52% to 2,987.8, flirting with the psychologically significant 3,000 level from below — a threshold traders will be watching closely in the sessions ahead. The underperformance of smaller companies suggests risk appetite remains somewhat constrained as investors assess the macro backdrop.
Gold continued to assert itself as a preferred safe-haven asset, with prices sitting at a lofty $4,395.74 — a level that underscores persistent demand for hard assets amid broader uncertainty. The metal's elevation reinforces a cautious undercurrent even as large-cap equities remain near historically high levels.
Amazon stood out as a rare bright spot in the tech sector, gaining 1.32% to $278.09, while Nvidia was the headline decliner, dropping 2.86% to $217.55 in a session that felt more like a pause than a pivot.