04:09 PM EDT, 04/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity markets ended mixed Monday as investors assessed expansion in manufacturing activity.

* The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 50.3 in March from a 47.8 level in February, the first reading above 50 to indicate expansion since September 2022. The consensus was for a 48.4 reading in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The S&P Global US manufacturing index for March was revised to 51.9 from the flash estimate of 52.5, compared with expectations for no revision in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The index was 52.2 in February.

* US construction spending fell by 0.3% in February following a 0.2% drop in January, compared with a 0.7% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Private residential construction rose by 0.7% on a 1.4% gain in single-family building and a 0.2% increase in remodeling activity, partially offset by a 0.2% drop in multi-family building.

* May West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.76 to $83.93 per barrel, while June Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.60 to $87.60 amid reports that an Israeli missile strike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

* Trump Media & Technology Group ( DJT ) shares dropped more than 21% after reporting a full-year 2023 loss of $58.2 million, compared with earnings of $50.5 million a year earlier.

* Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) has agreed to make changes to its disclosures related to private browsing data to settle a part of a lawsuit that alleged the tech giant collected users' data without their knowledge. Shares of Alphabet rose nearly 3%.