NEW YORK, March 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded on a mixed note on Monday as the markets were dragged by falling Boeing and Facebook shares.
At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 38.29 points, or 0.15 percent, to 25,810.58. The S&P 500 climbed 1.85 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,824.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index sank 2.20 points, or 0.03 percent, to 7,686.33.
Boeing shares dropped 2.3 percent around midday, leading the laggards in the Dow. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the U.S. Department of Transportation and federal prosecutors were scrutinizing the development of the company's 737 Max planes. The move came after a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia last week involving the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet.
Shares of Facebook fell 2.8 percent at midday. An analyst at Needham on Monday downgraded the company to hold from buy, citing Facebook's pivot toward privacy and encrypted messages as well as the growing risks of more regulatory scrutiny as a "negative network effect."
Wall Street is also awaiting a Federal Reserve meeting which is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday. Investors will look for clues about the U.S. central bank's economic outlook.
In the week ending on March 15, U.S. stocks posted solid gains, with the Dow and S&P 500 advancing 1.6 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, while the Nasdaq rallying 3.8 percent. Enditem
