U.S. stocks close higher; Dow gains 0.29%

U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.29%, the S&P 500 gaining 0.70%, and the Nasdaq Composite advancing 0.83%, led by gains in consumer staples, industrials, and technology sectors. Top performers included Cisco Systems up 3.51%, Nvidia rising 2.39%, and Goldman Sachs adding 2.01%, while Verizon fell 3.49%, Merck dropped 3.21%, and Disney declined 1.88%. Notable S&P 500 movers included Synopsys up 5.62% and Tesla gaining 5.20%, while Fair Isaac fell 13.15%. The VIX volatility index dropped 5.45% to 18.39. Gold futures declined 0.29% to $4,026.65, WTI crude fell 0.44% to $101.31, and Brent crude slipped 0.50% to $110.19. The dollar index edged up 0.06%, with EUR/USD flat and USD/JPY rising 0.43%.