US close: Stocks mixed amid heightened Russia-Ukraine tensions

Wall Street stocks turned in a mixed performance on Monday as Russian and Ukraine officials arrived at the border to discuss potentially calling a stop to hostilities between the two sides.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.49% at 33,892.60, while the S&P 500 was 0.24% weaker at 4,373.94 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.41% firmer at 13,751.40.

The Dow closed 166.15 points lower on Monday, cutting into considerable gains recorded in the previous session as market participants assessed risks stemming from Moscow's decision to enter Ukrainian territory.

Monday's moves came as a result of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have held on to key cities, including the nation's capital of Kyiv but the Russian advance into the country continued over the weekend, with Russian military vehicles entering Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv. There have been reports of fighting taking place in the streets and residents have allegedly been warned to stay in shelters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also put Moscow's nuclear deterrence forces on high alert on Sunday amid growing opposition to his invasion. However, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated representatives for both sides had agreed to meet on the Ukraine-Belarus border "with no preconditions".

The Central Bank of Russia more than doubled its key interest rate to 20% from 9.5% after the Russian rouble crashed more than 40% in the wake of unprecedented international sanctions against the country's financial system as Washington joined allies in both Europe and Canada to block big Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT. In addition to the SWIFT move, Russia's central bank has been isolated and blocked from deploying its international reserves, meaning Moscow has been all but cut off from the world's financial system.

On the macro front, the US goods trade deficit widened to an all-time high of $107.63bn in January from a revised print of $100.47bn in December, according to an advance estimate from the Census Bureau. Imports rose 1.7% to $262.46bn, while exports fell 1.8% to $154.83bn.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Federal Reserve's purchasing managers index decreased to 56.3 points in February, down from 65.2 points in January to miss market forecasts for a print of 63 and the lowest reading since August of 2020. All five of the main indicators fell, with new orders and supplier deliveries taking the largest hit.

Finally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' general business activity index for manufacturing in Texas slipped six points to +2 in January, pointing to the smallest growth in factory activity since July 2020.

Dow Jones - Risers

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $143.29 2.07%
Boeing Co. (BA) $205.20 1.85%
Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $210.46 1.14%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $76.70 0.50%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $298.79 0.50%
American Express Co. (AXP) $194.42 0.37%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $187.57 0.27%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $165.12 0.16%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $476.40 0.14%
Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $30.52 0.00%

Dow Jones - Fallers

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $141.60 -4.30%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $340.71 -2.69%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $244.95 -1.80%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $136.54 -1.62%
Visa Inc. (V) $215.88 -1.55%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $155.96 -1.44%
International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $122.43 -1.41%
3M Co. (MMM) $148.74 -1.18%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $58.97 -1.14%
Walmart Inc. (WMT) $135.06 -0.97%

S&P 500 - Risers

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) $43.76 12.97%
Foot Locker Inc. (FL) $31.61 8.75%
Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) $442.57 8.03%
L3Harris Technologies Inc. (LHX) $252.05 7.94%
Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) $59.35 7.51%
Eog Resources Inc. (EOG) $114.64 6.86%
Fortinet Inc. (FTNT) $344.52 6.02%
Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) $433.80 5.94%
Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) $36.26 5.93%
Apache Corp. (APA) $35.63 5.82%

S&P 500 - Fallers

DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (XRAY) $54.14 -7.75%
Ipg Photonics Corp. (IPGP) $130.35 -5.58%
PPG Industries Inc. (PPG) $133.75 -5.20%
Citigroup Inc. (C) $58.89 -4.99%
Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $2,172.25 -4.79%
Western Union Co. (WU) $18.18 -4.44%
Dxc Technology Company (DXC) $33.98 -4.36%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $141.60 -4.30%
International Paper Co. (IP) $43.48 -4.27%
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) $133.67 -4.22%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Tesla Inc (TSLA) $870.43 7.48%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $202.93 3.49%
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $144.88 2.88%
Workday, Inc. (WDAY) $229.49 1.89%
Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $532.32 1.89%
NortonLifeLock Inc. (NLOK) $28.98 1.86%
Biogen Inc (BIIB) $211.01 1.75%
Mercadolibre Inc. (MELI) $1,126.65 1.37%
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) $130.09 1.07%
Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $142.08 0.99%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (XRAY) $54.14 -7.75%
Qurate Retail Inc. (QRTEA) $5.51 -6.77%
Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $2,172.25 -4.79%
NetEase Inc. Ads (NTES) $95.34 -4.39%
Trip.com Group Limited (TCOM) $25.82 -4.23%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $50.94 -3.80%
Intuit Inc. (INTU) $474.37 -2.63%
Dish Network Corp. (DISH) $31.96 -2.56%
KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $348.50 -2.56%
Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $70.33 -2.52%