U.S. stocks mixed in subdued trade; Dow Jones down 0.12%

U.S. stocks were mixed in subdued trade on Monday, ahead of U.S. data as markets were jittery amid ongoing uncertainty iver whether the Federal Reserve will soon begin scaling back its stimulus program. 

During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.12%, the S&P 500 index inched up 0.02%, while the Nasdaq Composite index added 0.11%. 

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the central bank could scale back its asset purchases by the end of the year if the economy continues to improve, but added that there was no “preset course.”

Bernanke said the economic recovery was continuing at a moderate pace but reiterated that monetary policy will remain accommodative for the foreseeable future. 

Over the weekend, the Group of 20 nations stressed the need for a “careful” shift away from monetary easing so that market volatility does not negatively impact on the global recovery.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the G20 nations said Saturday that future changes to monetary policy should be “carefully calibrated and clearly communicated" and added that tapering should be "calibrated" to economic conditions. 

In earnings news, McDonald's reported quarterly earnings that missed both for bottom-line profit and top-line revenue, sending shares down 3.01%. 

Adding to losses, Yahoo plummeted 2.39% after the Internet company said it has entered into an agreement to repurchase 40 million shares of its common stock beneficially owned by Third Point at USD29.11 a share. 

On the upside, Apple jumped 1.12% even as the company's developer site became unavailable for software engineers after a hacker tried to steal personal information. 

In the same sector, Google and Microsoft regained some ground, climbing 0.72% and 1.21% respectively, after the stocks tumbled on Friday. Both tech giants disappointed last week with quarterly earnings and revenue that fell well below market expectations. 

In addition, at least eight brokerages slashed their price targets on Google, while seven cut their price targets on Microsoft. 

Other stocks expected to be in focus included Halliburton, Hasbro, Kimberly-Clark, Netflix and Texas Instruments, scheduled to post second quarter results later in the day. 

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 added 0.21%, France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.27%, Germany's DAX slipped 0.16%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.28%. 

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.25%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.47%. 

Later in the day, the U.S. was to release private sector data on existing home sales.