NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are slipping ahead of a momentous week full of potential flashpoints, but other markets are already moving more sharply, including a jump for oil prices and drops for Treasury yields. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% in early trading Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 165 points, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.6%. Election Day will arrive on Tuesday, but its result may not be known for some time as officials count all the votes.
The Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress is meeting this week and analysts were predicting the government may endorse major spending initiatives to boost the economy after two straight quarters of growth below the government's target of about 5% for the year. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, recovering somewhat from the day before, its worst in eight weeks. The Dow industrials added 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.