US benchmark equity indexes were mostly higher intraday as markets assessed the latest economic data.

The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.8% at 19,719.8 after midday Monday, while the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 5,957.1. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 42,803.3. Among sectors, communication services paced the gainers, while consumer staples saw the biggest drop.

US markets will close early Tuesday and remain closed Wednesday for the Christmas Day holiday.

In economic news, US consumer confidence dropped by 8.1 points to 104.7 this month, the Conference Board said. The expectations index slumped 12.6 points to 81.1, just above the 80 threshold that usually indicates a recession ahead, according to the report.

"The recent rebound in consumer confidence was not sustained in December," Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson said. "While weaker consumer assessments of the present situation and expectations contributed to the decline, the expectations component saw the sharpest drop."

Sales of new single-family houses in the US rose 5.9% sequentially to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 664,000 in November, according to government data. A Bloomberg-compiled consensus indicated a 670,000 print.

US durable goods orders dropped more than projected in November led by transportation equipment, government data showed.

The US 10-year yield increased 5.4 basis points to 4.58% intraday, while the two-year rate gained 2.6 basis points to 4.34%.

In company news, shares of chip-making giant Nvidia (NVDA) were up 3%, the top performer on the Dow. Broadcom (AVGO) was the best performer on the S&P 500 and the second-best on the Nasdaq, up 5.4%. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel (INTC) were among the top gainers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

Hyatt Hotels (H) is in exclusive negotiations to potentially acquire Playa Hotels & Resorts (PLYA), among other options being considered for the operator of resorts in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Playa shares jumped nearly 28%, while Hyatt fell 2.4%.

MicroStrategy (MSTR) said it acquired 5,262 bitcoins for about $561 million in cash from Dec. 16 through Dec. 22. The company's shares were down 5.8%, the steepest decline on the S&P 500.

Nordstrom (JWN) agreed to be taken private by members of the founding Nordstrom family and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool in a deal valued at $6.25 billion. Nordstrom shares fell 1.8%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.6% at $69.08 a barrel intraday.

Gold fell 0.6% to $2,628.70 per troy ounce, while silver increased 0.8% to $30.19 per ounce.