04:03 PM EST, 12/09/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Monday as markets evaluated an inflation survey and awaited official price data for November due later in the week.

* US consumers' inflation expectations rose slightly across the short-, medium-, and long-term horizons in November, a survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed.

* Government data are expected to show Wednesday that US consumer inflation rose 0.2% sequentially and 2.7% annually last month, according to a Bloomberg survey.

^The official producer price report for November is scheduled to be released Thursday.

* The S&P 500 is expected to end 2025 at a 7,100 level, suggesting a roughly 17% increase from Friday's record close amid continued economic and consumer resilience, Oppenheimer Asset Management said in a report.

* January West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $1.17 to settle at $68.37 per barrel, while February Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $1.10 to $72.22 per barrel. China plans to loosen monetary policy as its economy struggles while the rapid collapse of Syria's government added fresh geopolitical risk.

* Mondelez International ( MDLZ ) is exploring a potential acquisition of Hershey (HSY), Bloomberg News reported, citing unnamed sources. Hershey shares jumped 11%, and Mondelez ( MDLZ ) fell 2.3%.

* Comcast ( CMCSA ) reached long-term agreements to distribute Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ) content to Xfinity subscribers in the US and Sky customers in the UK and Ireland. Comcast ( CMCSA ) shares fell 9.5%, while Warner Bros. dropped 0.9%.