U.S. equities declined on Monday as investors weighed heightened geopolitical risks in the Middle East, with major benchmarks posting moderate losses.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.51% to close at 53,459.78 points, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.52% to 7,745.06. The Nasdaq 100 slipped 0.17%, ending the session at 29,995.38 points.
Market sentiment soured as concerns over the escalation of conflict in the Middle East intensified, overshadowing broader economic data. Analysts noted that while corporate earnings and macroeconomic indicators remained supportive, geopolitical uncertainty remained a key downside risk for equities.
Trading volumes were moderate, with no single sector driving the decline. Technology shares, typically sensitive to global risk sentiment, underperformed slightly, though losses were contained compared to broader benchmarks.
