Investing.com -- The Dow eked out a gain on Monday, supported by energy and health care stocks, but upside momentum was kept in checked as traders awaited fresh inflation data due Tuesday.
At 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2%, or 54 points, while the S&P 500 was down 0.1%, and the NASDAQ Composite was down 0.2%.
Oil starts week on frontfoot to boost energy stocks; Exxon Mobil gains on big lithium bet
Energy stocks were supported by a rise in oil prices following last week's sharp losses amid ongoing concerns about slowing global demand, particularly from China, the world's biggest crude oil importer.
As well as rising oil prices, the broader energy sector was supported by 1% rise in Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM) after the energy giant detailed plans to begin producing lithium in 2027.
Boeing jumps after winning $52B order from Emirates; Tesla jump on Cybertruck update
Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) rose more than 4% after the aircraft maker won a $52 billion order from Emirates for the delivery of 95 aircrafts.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), meanwhile, rose more than 4% after updating the terms of its agreement with future Cybertruck buyers that includes a restriction to prevent them reselling their cybertrucks within the first year of purchase.
Moody’s cuts U.S. credit rating outlook; government shutdown risk in focus
Moody's (NYSE:MCO) credit rating agency late Friday changed its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to "negative" from "stable," while affirming its “Aaa” long-term rating.
The warning comes just as concerns about another government shutdown enters the fray, with the Nov. 17 deadline for Congress to pass a funding bill to keep the government open fast approaching.
October inflation data eyed
Fresh consumer inflation data for October due Tuesday also kept bullish bets on stocks sidelined even as the report is expected to show a slowing in the pace of inflation.
Inflation is expected to have slowed to a 0.1% pace on a monthly basis, up 3.3% on an annual basis, from 0.4% and 3.7% respectively.
While this suggests a cooling of inflationary pressure, Fed Chair Jerome Powell last week hinted that the battle against inflation may not be over yet, and a further interest rate hike was possible - a view that was largely backed up by a series of his colleagues throughout the week.
Big-box retailers to reveal earnings
The earnings season is approaching the end, but several big-box retailers are set to unveil their latest quarterly results this week.
Home Depot (NYSE:HD) is due to report ahead of the opening bell on on Tuesday, followed by Target (NYSE:TGT) on Wednesday, while earnings from Walmart (NYSE:WMT) and Macy’s (NYSE:M) are scheduled to be released on Thursday.
Any guidance from retail executives entering the all-important holiday shopping season will likely be in focus.
Nvidia's climb unable to stem losses in chip stocks
Semiconductor stocks fell 1% to weigh on the broader tech sector despite a modest rise in Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) after the chipmaker rolled out its H200 chip, a successor to the H100 chip.
The H200 chip, which is set to launch in Q2 next year, boasts computational speeds that is nearly double that of the H100.
Marvell Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MRVL), Lattice (OTC:LTTC) Semiconductor (NASDAQ:LSCC), and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) were among the biggest losers in the chip sector.
(Liz Moyer, Peter Nurse, and Oliver Gray contributed to this item.)