• US stocks declined on Monday as investors await new inflation data later this week.
  • February core PCE and personal spending data will be released on Friday.
  • Meanwhile, several Fed governors and Chairman Jerome Powell will speak throughout the week.

US stocks declined on Monday as investors await commentary from members of the Federal Reserve and February inflation data.

The decline on Monday comes after the S&P 500 posted its best week of the year last week, when it rose 2.3%. That was the S&P 500's best weekly gain since mid-December.

Investors will keep their attention on comments from Fed Presidents Raphael Bostic and Austan Goolsbee on Monday, Fed governor Christopher Waller on Wednesday, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday. Investors will be listening for any clues from the Fed members as to when the central bank may consider cutting interest rates.

Meanwhile, more inflation data is scheduled to be released on Friday, with the February core PCE Index. The median forecasts suggest core PCE will rise 2.8% year-over-year, which is in-line with the previous reading. Investors will be unable to react to the data until next week, as the stock market is closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday.

Mega-cap tech stocks dropped on Monday after European Union regulators announced formal investigations against Apple, Meta Platforms, and Alphabet. The investigations come just a few days after the US Department of Justice sued Apple for antitrust violations. 

Here's where US indexes stood shortly after the 9:30 a.m. opening bell on Monday: 

Here's what else is going on today: 

In commodities, bonds, and crypto: 

  • West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 0.5% to $81.03 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by 0.42% to $85.79 a barrel. 
  • Gold rose by 0.78% to $2,176.90 per ounce. 
  • The 10-year Treasury yield rose 2 basis points to 4.23%. 
  • Bitcoin dropped by 0.43% to $66,919. 
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