12:39 PM EDT, 09/23/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes traded mixed after midday on Monday as purchasing managers' indexes for manufacturing and services slowed and top Federal Reserve officials lay down their paths for monetary easing.

The S&P 500 index rose 0.2% to 5,711.1, with the Nasdaq Composite up 0.1% to 17,970.5 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average little changed at 42,078.5. All sectors, except healthcare and technology, rose intraday. Consumer discretionary and utilities led the gainers.

In economic news, the September flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global fell to a 15-month low of 47.0 from 47.9 in August, below the 48.6 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The services conditions index slid to a two-month low of 55.4 in September from 55.7 in August but was slightly above expectations for 55.2. The composite declined to 54.4 in September from 54.6 in August, a two-month low.

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic told a conference on Monday that current economic conditions merit cutting interest rates toward the estimated "neutral" level in a cautious, patient, and data-dependent manner.

However, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said interest rates need to be "significantly" reduced to protect the labor market and support the economy.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year yield up 1.3 basis points to 3.74%.

In company news, General Motors ( GM ) plans to lay off 1,695 workers at its Fairfax assembly facility in Kansas, Reuters reported Saturday, citing a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice. The automaker's shares slumped 3.4% intraday, the worst performer on the S&P 500.

Apollo Global Management ( APO ) has offered to invest as much as $5 billion in Intel ( INTC ) , Bloomberg News reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. Intel ( INTC ) shares rose 2.7%, the top performer on the Dow.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 1.5% to $69.87 a barrel.