The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 14 points, or less than 0.1%, with 40 minutes remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher. All three are near their all-time highs<\/a> set a week ago. <\/p>\n Big Tech stocks ticked higher to lead the way. Amazon added 0.8% following its 5.1% drop last week, and Microsoft rose 0.6% to recover some of its 1.2% decline. While their moves were modest, they were still two of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 Monday because they\u2019re two of Wall Street\u2019s most valuable stocks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n On the losing end of the market were companies in the oil business, which were hurt by slumping crude prices. Drops of 2.9% for Exxon Mobil and 2.8% for Chevron were two of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500. <\/p>\n This week\u2019s highlight is scheduled to arrive on Friday, when a report will be due about how many jobs U.S. employers created and destroyed last month. The hope is that it will be balanced enough to keep the Federal Reserve on track to continue cutting interest rates.<\/p>\n The Fed just delivered its first cut of the year<\/a>, and officials have penciled in more through the end of next year. That\u2019s critical for investors because U.S. stocks have shot to records from a low in April<\/a> in large part because of expectations for several cuts from the Fed. Easier rates can give the job market a boost and make investors more willing to pay high prices for stocks and other investments. <\/p>\n If Friday\u2019s job numbers prove too strong, they could make the Fed less willing to cut rates. That could hurt stocks, which already face criticism that they\u2019ve become too expensive following their big rally. If the job numbers are too weak, they could mean a recession that would hurt stock prices on its own.<\/p>\n One wild card may pop up in the interim: The U.S. government is nearing a deadline that could result in its shutdown<\/a>. <\/p>\n The United States has already had many such shutdowns in the past<\/a>, which have caused only minimal waves for the U.S. stock market and for the economy. But another shutdown could delay the collection and release of economic data, such as on jobs and inflation. Without those reports, increasing uncertainty on Wall Street could make markets more twitchy. <\/p>\n This shutdown may also be different because the White House may push for large-scale firings of federal workers<\/a> this time around. <\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that a shutdown will have only a small and transitory economic impact, but it may spur some financial market volatility,\u201d according to Jennifer Timmerman, investment strategy analyst at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. <\/p>\n On Wall Street, Electronic Arts rallied 4.6% after the video game maker confirmed rumors of a $55 billion buyout<\/a>. A group of investors will pay $210 in cash for each share of EA, and they are calling it history\u2019s largest all-cash deal to take a business private.<\/p>\n CSX chugged 4.8% higher after the railroad operator named Steve Angel as its chief executive. Angel was previously CEO of Linde and its predecessor Praxair, and he is replacing Joe Hinrichs, who also left CSX\u2019s board. <\/p>\n Stocks in the marijuana-related business soared after President Donald Trump posted a video to his social media network calling hemp-derived CBD a \u201cgame changer\u201d in improving the quality of life for seniors. Tilray Brands jumped 54.8%, and Canada\u2019s Canopy Growth rose 17.8% in Toronto. <\/p>\n In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly rose in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n