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Unofficially, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 149.59 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 30,068.67, the S&P 500 lost 6.4 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 3,692.72 and the Nasdaq Composite added 56.02 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 12,520.25.
Weighing heavily on value names were energy stocks, as the S&P 500 energy index was the worst performing among the 11 major sectors as oil prices slipped. The sector had been the best performer this quarter, climbing nearly 30 per cent.
Investors are closely tracking developments on the passage of a long-awaited coronavirus relief bill, after months of deadlocked negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.
The U.S. Congress is likely to consider a one-week stopgap funding bill to provide more time for lawmakers to reach agreements in talks aimed at delivering COVID-19 relief and an overarching spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, Democratic aides said on Monday.
Promising vaccine updates from major drugmakers have raised investor hopes for an economic recovery next year and have eased worries over a surge in U.S. infections, powering Wall Street’s main indexes to record highs recently.
