Dow Jones ends slightly lower as stocks struggle for direction after hitting nearly 4-month highs

U.S. stocks closed with small losses on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 pulling back from their strongest levels since early August, as investors awaited a busy week of economic data.

What happened

For all of last week, the Dow Jones rose 1.3% to reach its highest close since Aug. 7, while the S&P 500 advanced 1% to its highest since Aug. 1 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.9%. Activity was thin, with U.S. markets closed last Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday followed by an abbreviated…