The S&P 500 and Dow fell lower on Monday as caution crept over sentiment as global coronavirus cases continued their unprecedented surge as additional fiscal stimulus from Congressional lawmakers still fails to materialize. Conversely, the Nasdaq outperformed and rose to a fresh record high as investors moved toward tech stocks as they searched for direction.

The United States reported a record-high average number of cases over the past seven days of over 196,200, which is an increase of 20% compared to the prior period. Grimly still, the U.S. is now approaching a record-high number of daily coronavirus-related deaths.

On Sunday, Dr. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House's Coronavirus Task Force, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the accelerating amount of coronavirus cases will be "the worst event that [the U.S.] will face, not just from a public health side."

Here's how the market settled to start the week:

S&P 500 Index (SPY  ): -0.19% or -7.16 points to 3,691.96

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA  ): -0.49% or -149.06 points to 30,069.20

Nasdaq Composite Index (QQQ  ): +0.45% or +55.71 points to 12,519.95

For Stocks, Eastman Kodak (KODK  ) jumped nearly 60% after The Washington Post reported that the government watchdog found no faults in Kodak receiving a government to produce pharmaceutical ingredients. Palantir (PLTR  ) was also a big gainer on Monday, with shares jumping over 20% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded the company a drug contract valued at $44.4 million over three years. Apple (AAPL  ) shares rose after the tech giant announced that its planning to develop Mac processors that would outperform Intel (INTC  ) models as soon as early 2021; Intel shares slumped. Tesla (TSLA  ) shares rose again, continuing their S&P 500 inclusion rally.

For Sector Performance, most sectors on the ended in negative territory as the market become more cautious as coronavirus cases continued to surge globally. Communication Services (XLC  ), Utilities (XLU  ) and Information Technology (XLK  ) were the only sectors on the S&P 500 to settle in the green. Energy (XLE  ) was the biggest loser, falling over 2%, while Real Estate (XLRE  ), Financials (XLF  ) and Materials (XLB  ) rounded out the bottom four.

For Commodities and Currency, the U.S. Dollar (UUP  ) fell against other global currencies on Monday as investors continued to bet on near-term Congressional stimulus. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against rival currencies, was little changed from Friday's session, falling slightly to 90.795. Gold (GLD  ) prices climbed on Monday as the bullion's attractiveness increased alongside stimulus expectations. Spot gold prices rose 1.3% higher at $1,860.49 per ounce, while gold futures settled 1.4% higher at $1,866 per ounce. Crude oil futures slumped lower on Monday as coronavirus cases continued to surge globally. International benchmark Brent Crude (BNO  ) fell slightly to $48.79 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (USO  ) declined about 1% lower to $45.76 per barrel. Both oil contracts gained about 2% last week on vaccine optimism.

For Tuesday, market participants will focus on updates surrounding additional coronavirus stimulus.