01:30 PM EDT, 03/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes fell, while government bond yields rose with crude oil after midday on Monday.

The S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 5,223.9 but hovered close to record highs touched last week. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.1% to 16,415.3. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.4% to 39,326, close to the eye-popping 40,000 mark. March 29 is a public holiday for Good Friday.

This week, the latest reading of the personal consumption expenditures index will be the focal point for investors as hotter-than-expected consumer and producer price indexes released earlier in March failed to effect a cut in the number of interest-rate reductions forecast this year in the Federal Reserve's updated Summary of Economic Projections. If the PCE comes higher than forecast, it could trigger hawkish comments from top central bank officials not on board with the swift policy-easing plan.

Fed speakers making public appearances this week include Chair Jerome Powell, who will participate in a moderated discussion at the San Francisco Fed's policy conference on Friday, the day of PCE data, which is also the Fed's preferred inflation measure.

The US Treasury two-year yield jumped 2.3 basis points to 4.62%, and the 10-year yield climbed to 4.24%, an increase of 2.5 basis points. Both Treasury yields declined last week.

The US Dollar index advanced 0.2% against a basket of currencies, including the Japanese yen and the euro, to 104.2.

In economic news Monday, the Dallas Federal Reserve's monthly manufacturing index slid to minus 14.4 in March from minus 11.3 in February, compared with expectations for a worsening to minus 11.5 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:45 am ET.

US new-home sales decreased to a 662,000 annual rate in February from an upwardly revised 664,000 rate in January, versus the 675,000 rate expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

In company news, JPMorgan started Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) with an overweight stock rating and a $1,150 price target. Northland adjusted Super Micro's share-price target to $1,300 from $925 while maintaining its outperform rating. Shares of Super Micro jumped to 9.8% earlier in the session, the top gainer on the S&P 500 intraday.

The worst performer on the S&P 500 was Take-Two Interactive Software ( TTWO ) , whose shares slid 5% following a Kotaku report that the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 video game may miss the 2025 release window.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 1.4% to $81.79 a barrel.

Gold rose 0.8% to $2,188 per troy ounce, and silver rose 0.3% to $24.92.

Bitcoin jumped 8.6% to $70,656.05, heading for its record high.