Stocks flat amid fresh geopolitical concerns, busy corporate earnings calendar

U.S. stocks were flat Monday, as traders waded through the latest earnings reports and while geopolitical concerns once again entered the spotlight.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 13.83 points, or 0.06%, to 25,044.29. The S&P 500 added 5.15 points, about 0.18%, to 2,806.98. The Nasdaq Composite gained 21.67 points, or 0.28%, to close at 7,841.87.

Quarterly results released before the opening bell included Haliburton and Hasbro. The big report on Monday was from Google parent company Alphabet, which was recently hit with an antitrust fine from the European Union.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
SP500 S&P 500 5254.35 +5.86 +0.11%
I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 39807.37 +47.29 +0.12%
I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 16379.458265 -20.06 -0.12%

Meanwhile, Trump tweeted a strong warning to Iran.

“To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!” he wrote on Twitter late Sunday.

The tweet came hours after Rouhani said, “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” according to the state news agency, IRNA.

Additionally, Tesla shares took a hit following a Wall Street Journal report that the company asked suppliers to reduce costs. In response to an article in Electrek about the request, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet that, "only costs that actually apply to Q3 & beyond will be counted. It would not be correct to apply historical cost savings to current quarter."

Over the weekend, there was a meeting between finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 and little progress was made when it came to trade tensions.

Economic data released Monday included existing home sales. The June figure came in at a 5.38 million annual rate versus May's 5.41 million. The median home price for existing homes came in at $276,900, up 5.2% year-over-year.

Commodities were mostly lower, succumbing to the pressure of a higher U.S. dollar. Many commodites are priced in U.S. dollars, therefore, when the dollar climbs it makes these commodities more expensive for holders of international currencies, reducing their demand.