U.S. equities finished with gains on Monday, led by advances in Basic Materials, Technology and Oil & Gas stocks, pushing major benchmarks higher by the close in New York.
At the closing bell on the NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.04% and recorded a new all-time high. The S&P 500 increased 0.47%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.90%.
Notable movers on the Dow
Within the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was the top gainer, climbing 3.13% - a rise of 12.58 points - to finish at 413.60. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) added 2.50%, up 4.63 points to 190.04 at the close. Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) rose 2.31%, an increase of 1.96 points, leaving the stock at 86.78 in late trade.
On the downside among Dow components, Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK) fell 3.51%, dropping 4.28 points to finish at 117.65. Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) declined 2.88%, down 8.67 points to 292.82, and Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) slipped 2.38%, losing 1.52 points to close at 62.40.
S&P 500 and Nasdaq standouts
On the S&P 500, Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) led gainers with a 9.65% jump to 156.61. Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) rose 7.56% to settle at 131.39, and Viatris Inc (NASDAQ:VTRS) gained 6.72% to close at 15.56.
Stocks with the largest declines on the S&P 500 included Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT), which was down 13.94% to 328.14 in late trade; Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW), which lost 12.10% to finish at 290.09; and Arthur J Gallagher & Co (NYSE:AJG), which fell 9.84% to 217.80 at the close.
On the Nasdaq Composite, the session featured outsized percentage moves among smaller names. Urban-Gro Inc (NASDAQ:UGRO) surged 2,302.60% to 3.70. Focus Universal Inc (NASDAQ:FCUV) jumped 811.81% to settle at 6.10. CCH Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:CCHH) climbed 140.45% to close at 1.38.
Conversely, the largest declines on the Nasdaq included ScanTech AI Systems Inc (NASDAQ:STAI), which fell 39.59% to 0.90 in late trading; Polaryx Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PLYX), down 33.45% to 5.93; and Actelis Networks Inc (NASDAQ:ASNS), which dropped 31.40% to 0.31 at the close.
Market breadth and record levels
Rising issues outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange by 1605 to 1135, while 90 stocks finished unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1826 stocks rose and 1554 declined, with 170 remaining unchanged.
Several individual stocks reached milestone levels on the day. Shares of Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) climbed to an all-time high, gaining 7.56% or 9.23 to 131.39. Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) also hit an all-time high, rising 2.31% or 1.96 to 86.78. Viatris Inc (NASDAQ:VTRS) reached a three-year high after rising 6.72% or 0.98 to 15.56.
Conversely, a number of stocks moved to fresh lows. Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) dropped to a 52-week low after losing 12.10% or 39.95 to 290.09. Arthur J Gallagher & Co (NYSE:AJG) fell to a 52-week low, down 9.84% or 23.78 to 217.80. ScanTech AI Systems Inc (NASDAQ:STAI), Polaryx Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PLYX) and Actelis Networks Inc (NASDAQ:ASNS) each fell to all-time lows, with declines of 39.59% or 0.59 to 0.90, 33.45% or 2.98 to 5.93, and 31.40% or 0.14 to 0.31, respectively.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index, a gauge of implied volatility for S&P 500 options, was down 2.20% at 17.37.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery was up 2.09% or 103.95 to $5,083.75 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery rose 1.38% or 0.88 to $64.43 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract increased 1.56% or 1.06 to trade at $69.11 a barrel.
On the foreign-exchange front, EUR/USD rose 0.81% to 1.19. USD/JPY fell 0.83% to 155.91. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.78% at 96.75.
The session closed with broad participation among gainers, led by rallies in technology and materials names, while several individual large-cap and smaller-cap stocks drove the biggest headline moves in both directions.