Stocks Ended a Choppy Session Lower

U.S. stocks ended lower on Monday, after a choppy day of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 89.44 points, or 0.35%, to 25,250.55. The S&P 500 fell 16.34 points, or 0.59%, to 2,750.79. The Nasdaq Composite declined 66.15 points, or 0.88%, to 7,430.74.

Oil futures pared earlier gains on Monday to settle modestly higher as tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia linked to a missing dissident journalist appeared to ease. November West Texas Intermediate crude rose 44 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $71.78 a barrel. December Brent crude added 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $80.78 a barrel.

The U.S. recorded a $779 billion deficit in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, an increase of $113 billion, as spending climbed while revenue remained nearly flat, the Treasury Department announced Monday.