NEW YORK, New York -U.S.  stock markets closed with a subdued tone on Monday as investors and traders remained restrained, with the upcoming expiration of the U.S. ceasefire with Iran weighing on sentiment. Parties involved in the negotiations do not appear to be any closer to finalizing an agreement, leaving market participants hesitant to place large bets heading into the new week.

On Wall Street, major indexes ended the day in the red. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 16.91 points, a decline of 0.24 percent, to close at 7,109.15. Trading volume for the index reached 2.595 billion shares, with the session high touching 7,122.65 and the low dipping to 7,084.41.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a nearly flat but negative finish, slipping just 4.87 points, or 0.01 percent, to end at 49,442.56. The Dow traded between a high of 49,489.63 and a low of 49,245.60 on volume of 403.716 million shares.

The technology-heavy NASDAQ Composite fared slightly worse, losing 64.09 points to close at 24,404.39, representing a drop of 0.26 percent. Volume for the NASDAQ reached 6.692 billion shares.

Market analysts noted that trading activity was notably cautious. "The ceasefire deadline is fast approaching, and there is no visible progress from either side," one trader said. "Until there is clarity, investors are content to sit on their hands."

The lack of movement in the Dow — a loss of less than five points — underscored the broader market's hesitation. With geopolitical tensions unresolved and diplomatic channels appearing stalled, volatility is expected to remain muted until a clear signal emerges from US-Iran negotiations.

U.S. Dollar Slides Against European Currencies; Euro and Pound Post Modest Gains

The U.S. dollar closed Monday's trading session lower against most of its major counterparts, with the euro and British pound both advancing, while the greenback edged higher against the Japanese yen.

The euro strengthened against the dollar, with the EUR/USD pair rising 0.002350 to settle at 1.1787. That represented a gain of 0.2 percent for the common currency. Trading ranged between a low of 1.1728 and a high of 1.1789.

The British pound also had a positive session. GBP/USD last traded at 1.3540, up 0.002410 on the day, an increase of 0.18 percent. Sterling traded as low as 1.3475 and reached a high of 1.3544.

The USD/JPY pair edged higher by 0.1820 to 158.82, a gain of 0.11 percent for the dollar. The pair oscillated between a low of 158.55 and a high of 159.20.

The Australian dollar rose against its U.S. counterpart. AUD/USD added 0.000790 to0.7177, representing an advance of 0.11 percent. The pair's session low was 0.7116, while the high reached 0.7179. Similarly, the New Zealand dollar gained ground, with NZD/USD climbing 0.000850 to 0.5891, a rise of 0.14 percent. Trading ranged from 0.5849 to 0.5895.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar fell notably against the Swiss franc. USD/CHF dropped 0.003555 to 0.7782, a decline of 0.45 percent. The pair traded between a low of 0.7776 and a high of 0.7839.

 The greenback also lost ground against its Canadian counterpart. USD/CAD slid 0.005090 to 1.3641, a decrease of 0.37 percent. The session saw a low of 1.3635 and a high of 1.3709.

In summary, the dollar's weakness was most pronounced against the Swiss franc and the Canadian dollar, while it managed a light gain versus the Japanese yen. The euro and pound both ended the day modestly higher.

Global Stocks Close Mixed on Monday as European Losses Offset Asian Gains

World stock markets ended the first trading day of the week on a divided note Monday, with major European and UK indexes closing sharply lower while Asian benchmarks showed resilience, according to the final quotes.

In Europe, the sell-off was broad-based. Germany's DAX P index dropped 284.44 points, or 1.15 percent, to settle at 24,417.80. France's CAC 40 fell 94.08 points, a decline of 1.12 percent, closing at 8,331.05. The broader EURO STOXX 50 I index lost 75.08 points, finishing at 5,982.63 for a loss of 1.24 percent.

Belgium's BEL 20 index dropped 60.93 points (1.09 percent) to 5,511.17, while the Euronext 100 Index fell 12.57 points (0.68 percent) to 1,838.66.

The FTSE 100 in London also ended in the red, shedding 58.55 points to close at 10,609.08, a negative move of 0.55 percent.

In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite index ended with a modest gain, adding 13.74 points. closing the session at 34,360.03.

Meanwhile, Asian markets provided a brighter picture. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 200.77 points, a gain of 0.77 percent, closing the day at 26,361.07. Japan's Nikkei 225 surged 348.99 points, rising 0.60 percent to end at 58,824.89.

Australia saw modest gains, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 6.40 points (0.07 percent) to reach 8,953.30, while the broader ALL ORDINARIES index rose 5.40 points (0.06 percent) to 9,174.10. New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 index rose just 9.75 points (0.08 percent) to 12,915.45.

India's S&P BSE SENSEX eked out a small gain of 26.80 points, or 0.03 percent, closing at 78,520.30.

Other gainers included Malaysia's FTSE Bursa KLCI, which rose 12.59 points (0.75 percent) to 1,702.30, and South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index, up 27.17 points (0.44 percent) at 6,219.09.

Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index climbed 154.50 points (0.42 percent) to 36,958.80, and China's SSE Composite Index gained 26.58 points (0.66 percent) to close at 4,082.13.

In contrast, Singapore's STI Index slipped 3.76 points, a fractional loss of 0.08 percent, to end the day at 5,004.07, while Indonesia's IDX Composite also fell, losing 39.89 points (0.52 percent) to finish at 7,594.11.

In the Middle East, Israel's TA-125 added 18.84 points (0.44 percent) to finish at 4,327.87. Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index was among the hardest hit, plunging 559.20 points, or 1.07 percent, to end at 51,813.40.

The most significant decline of the session came from South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index, which tumbled 184.81 points to close at 7,362.60, a steep loss of 2.45 percent.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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