04:18 PM EDT, 03/23/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes closed higher on Monday as crude oil prices tumbled after President Donald Trump delayed plans to attack Iran's power plants amid "productive" talks.

* US construction spending fell 0.3% in January, compared with a 0.1% increase expected in a Bloomberg survey, following an upwardly revised 0.8% increase in December.

* The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank's monthly National Activity Index declined to minus 0.11 in February from 0.2 in January, below the 0.04 expected in a Bloomberg survey.

* May West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $9.41 to settle at $88.82 per barrel, while May Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $12.37 at $99.82.

* Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) shares rose 6.8%, the top gainer on the Nasdaq, after Reuters reported late Friday that the tech company's Maven AI system is set to be designated as an official US military program of record, Reuters reported late Friday.

* Thomson Reuters ( TMSOF ) shares fell 2.6% after Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to equal weight from overweight and reduced its price target to $95 from $120.