U.S. stocks were mostly lower on Monday amid declining energy prices and ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting where upcoming interest rate policies will be discussed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 23.65 points, or around 0.1%, to trade at17623.05. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index declined 3.97 points, or about 0.2%, to trade at 2071.18. The Nasdaq Composite bucked the trend, gaining 0.1% to close Monday’s trading session at 5034.70. The S&P’s energy sector posted the most drastic declines among major sectors as it declined 2.5% amid falling energy prices as oil falls below $44 a barrel. Regardless, traders remain on edge until the Federal Reserve concludes its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday. The central bank is expected to maintain current interest rates unchanged, though some clues regarding the timing of the much-discussed interest rate hike will likely be revealed in statements given after the meeting concludes.
In Europe, stock markets were mixed on Monday after rallying China’s surprise interest rate cut. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index declined 0.4%, The German DAX 30 gained 0.1%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 fell 0.4%. Traders are waiting for more information regarding the European Central Bank’s stimulus programs, which are likely to be expanded later this year, according to comments made by ECB President Mario Draghi. European benchmarks are moving forward after their biggest quarterly decline in four years. The Stoxx Europe 600 gained more than 8% in October alone as it posts its biggest monthly rally in more than 6 years. The German DAX 30 outperformed its developed-market counterparts as it rose 12% this month. However, analysts are suggesting that the current rally may be coming to a close. Support for this notion can be found in the relative strength index, a measure of trading momentum, which has risen over a value of 70 for the first time since March of this year. Historically, this could indicate that the gains were made too rapidly to hold in place.
In Currencies, the euro rose 0.4% against the dollar to trade at $1.1059. However, it is likely that the euro will decline further in the event that the European Central Bank opts to expand its stimulus programs. In Commodities, crude oil fell 1.4% to trade at $43.98 a barrel, weighing down on major indexes’ energy sectors.
This week holds a number of major economic data releases. U.S. durable goods orders will be released later today, followed by Japanese and German retail sales data. However, Wednesday’s main event will be the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision towards the end of the day.