Wall Street ends mostly lower as Middle East conflict weighs

STORY: U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Monday, with the exception of the Dow, which edged up marginally...while the S&P 500 shed about four-tenths of a percent and the Nasdaq slid more than seven-tenths of a percent.:: FilePresident Donald Trump on Monday warned that the U.S. would obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if Tehran does not open ​the Strait of Hormuz. His threats came as the Middle East conflict widened, and after Iran described U.S. peace proposals as "unrealistic."Since the war started, the Dow, Nasdaq and small-cap Russell 2000 have all officially entered correction territory.And U.S. stocks are under-performing other global markets, says Melissa Brown, managing director of investment decision research at SimCorp."Particularly last week, the U.S. had the worst return among about 10 different markets. So it's been a tough market to navigate, I think. And I think it's driven by real concerns about what is happening in Iran, what that is going to mean for oil prices. Are we really going to be able to get out of there and soon? And can the Fed - even if the Fed does something, can they really be effective enough to keep inflation that would be driven by higher oil prices, keep it in check? So I think there's a lot of reasons for concern.":: Microsoft:: FileAmong the day's brighter spots, shares of Microsoft edged higher after the tech giant unveiled new features in its Copilot research assistant that would allow users to utilize multiple AI models simultaneously.:: BiogenShares of Biogen gained 2% after the FDA approved a higher dose of its spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza as the drug maker battles intensifying competition from Roche and Novartis.On the flip side, shares of Sysco slumped more than 15% after the food distributor said it would buy catering supplier Jetro Restaurant Depot in a $29 billion deal, including debt.