U.S. stocks close lower

U.S. stocks ended lower on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 41.49 points, or 0.09 percent, to 48,416.56. The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 10.9 points, or 0.16 percent, to 6,816.51. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 137.76 points, or 0.59 percent, to 23,057.41.

Eight of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors ended in green, with health and utilities leading the gainers by going up 1.27 percent and 0.88 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, technology and energy led the laggards by dropping 1.04 percent and 0.76 percent, respectively.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's electricity consumption is expected to reach a record high in 2025, with total power use projected to surpass 10 trillion kilowatt-hours nationwide, underscoring the strong momentum of the world's second-largest economy.

The projection was revealed at a national energy work conference on Monday. The milestone would further cement China's position as the world's largest electricity consumer, with its total power usage exceeding the combined consumption of the European Union, Russia, India and Japan in 2024.

Rising demand has been driven in large part by high-tech and advanced manufacturing industries.

Forecasts show that from January to November this year, power use in sectors such as new energy vehicle manufacturing and wind power equipment manufacturing jumped more than 20 percent and 30 percent year on year, respectively.

Meanwhile, electricity consumption in the internet and related services sector surged more than 30 percent from the previous year.

China's record-breaking power demand has also become increasingly green, with clean energy playing a growing role in meeting consumption needs.

Official projections show that newly installed wind and solar power capacity will hit about 370 million kilowatts in 2025, with the utilization rate remaining above 94 percent. Wind and solar power will account for about 22 percent of the nation's total electricity consumption.