<body><p>STORY: U.S. stocks closed lower on Monday, with the Dow and S&P 500 dipping marginally, and the Nasdaq shedding about a third of a percent.</p><p>Investors became less confident about a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which sent U.S. crude prices up about 5% to settle at more than $82 a barrel.</p><p>Heightened energy prices have spurred inflation worries and led to concerns that central banks would have to raise interest rates. </p><p>Ryan Isherwood is founder and chief investment officer of Significance Capital Management.</p><p>"Generally speaking, you know, inflationary signs are a reason for investors to take a little bit of a pause — just, you know, take inventory of where things came from. And we think that's just causing, you know, a little bit of normal digestion, if you will, from the recent strong rally."</p><p>:: Intel</p><p>Also weighing on the market were shares of Intel, which fell about 4% after the chipmaker said it was planning to raise $15 billion through a share sale.</p><p>:: Nvidia</p><p>And shares of Nvidia dropped roughly 3%. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that a group of financial firms, including Apollo Global and Blackstone, is working with Nvidia to put together a $500 billion funding package for AI infrastructure development.</p><p>And shares of Rocket Lab, down more than 3% at the close, fell further in extended trading after the aerospace company forecast third-quarter gross margin below Wall Street expectations, as sales of lower-margin satellite platforms are set to make up a larger share of its business.</p></body>
