US equity indices were mixed on Monday as investors awaited economic data and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Powell is slated to speak later in the day on the economic outlook at the National Association for Business Economics event.

At 9:47 a.m. the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 226.69 points, or 0.54 per cent, to 42,086.31, the S&P 500 lost 4.52 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 5,733.65 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 44.41 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 18,164.00.

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 77.94 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 42,235.06. The S&P 500 fell 11.43 points, or 0.20 per cent, to 5,726.74, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 44.76 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 18,074.83.