U.S. Stock Indexes End Unevenly After Day of Listless Trading

NEW YORK (AP) —

U.S. stock indexes capped a day of listless trading with a mixed finish Monday, as gains by banks and technology companies were offset by losses in other sectors.

Bond yields rose, pointing to a pickup in interest rates on consumer loans, which helped drive bank shares higher. Technology stocks also posted solid gains, adding to the sector’s market-leading showing this year. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, surged in aftermarket trading after it reported its latest quarterly results.

The S&P 500 index rose 5.15 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,806.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 13.83 points, or 0.1 percent, to 25,044.29. The Nasdaq gained 21.67 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,841.87. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 1.61 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,698.41.

The indexes are on pace to finish the month with gains. The S&P 500, the market’s benchmark index, is on a three-week winning streak.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.96 percent from 2.89 percent late Friday. The increase in bond yields helped lift bank shares. Interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans tend to move in tandem with bond yields. Rising rates translate into bigger profits for banks. Wells Fargo added 2.8 percent to $58.

A third of the companies in the S&P 500 are set to report second-quarter earnings this week. So far, corporate earnings have been generally better than expected, reinforcing the underlying perception in financial markets that the U.S. economy is performing strongly and that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month.

Companies due to report results this week include Boeing, Facebook and Amazon.

Investors bid up shares in Hasbro Monday after the toy maker’s latest quarterly earnings topped Wall Street’s forecasts. The company was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500, vaulting 12.9 percent to $106.04. Rival Mattel also got a boost, climbing 3.9 percent to $16.59.

Traders hammered Illinois Tool Works after the manufacturer of industrial products and equipment forecast earnings that were well below what analysts were expecting. The company led a sell-off in industrial sector stocks, tumbling 7.2 percent to $136.26.

Tesla skidded 3.3 percent to $303.20 after The Wall Street Journal reported that the electric car maker has asked some of its suppliers to refund a portion of what the company has already spent to help it become profitable.

Oil prices fell, erasing gains from earlier in the day. Benchmark U.S. crude dropped 37 cents to settle at $67.89 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slipped a penny to close at $73.06.

Halliburton was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500, sliding 8.1 percent to $41.54 after management said that some customers are pulling back on production because of bottlenecks in getting the oil and gas they’re producing to market.

The dollar fell to 111.48 yen from 111.52 yen on Friday. The euro weakened to $1.1689 from $1.1726.

Gold declined $5.50 to $1,225.60 an ounce. Silver lost 12 cents to $15.43 an ounce. Copper dipped a penny to $2.75 a pound.

In other energy futures trading, heating oil rose 1 cent to $2.12 a gallon. Wholesale gasoline added 2 cents to $2.09 a gallon. Natural gas fell 4 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $2.72 per 1,000 cubic feet.

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