Wall Street tumbles on Italian election (2)

Texas manufacturing activity increased in February, but at a slower pace, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said on the same day.

HSBC's preliminary reading on the February manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for China fell to 50.4, a four-month low.

Shares of Barnes & Noble soared 11.47 percent to 15.06 dollars as its Chairman Leonard Riggio was reportedly considering a bid for the company's bookstore business.

Shares of Lowe's dipped 4.80 percent to 35.86 dollars as the home improvement chain beat market estimates on quarterly earnings but issued mixed guidance.

Shares of Elan Corp surged 5.09 percent to 1.14 dollars after pharmaceutical investor Royalty Pharma said on Monday that it has made a 6.55-billion-dollar takeover offer to the biotechnology company.

The U.S. dollar traded mixed against other major currencies on Monday, advancing versus the euro amid Italy's election uncertainties.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery lost 2 cents to settle at 93.11 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday. But Brent crude for April delivery rose 34 cents, or 0.3 percent, to close at 114.44 dollars a barrel, as official data showed that Chinese oil imports rose more than 7 percent in January from a year earlier.

Gold futures for April delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday bounced back after touching a seven-month low last Friday.