U.S. stocks fell on Monday, with investors adopting a cautious approach two days before the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting and quarterly earnings.
The Dow Jones Industrials faded 17.78 points to 16,991.91, with Cisco Systems leading blue-chip losses that extended to 17 of 30 components.
The S&P 500 stumbled 3.08 points to 1,964.82. The NASDAQ index dumped 20.82 points to 4,454.80.
H&R Block led declines on the S&P 500 after the tax preparer said the sale of its banking business to BofI Federal Bank had been bogged down by regulatory hurdles.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee releases minutes from its last session on Wednesday, with the Federal Reserve on track to conclude its bond purchases this month.
The unofficial launch of the third-quarter earnings season also starts Wednesday with results expected from aluminum-producer Alcoa, with eight additional S&P 500 companies slated to post results this week.
Hewlett-Packard rallied after saying it would divide into two companies; GT Advanced Technologies declined after Apple's partner in a sapphire glass factory in Arizona said it filed for voluntary bankruptcy protection.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries eked up, lowering yields to 2.42% from Friday's 2.45%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices revived 66 cents to $90.40 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices gained $15.70 to $1,208.60 U.S. an ounce.