Stocks kicked off the week little changed Monday (October 21) but the Standard & Poor's 500 index managed to close at a new all-time high.

Investors showed a reluctance to make aggressive bets ahead of Tuesday's release of U.S. payrolls data for September, which was delayed by the recent government shutdown.

The S&P 500 rose 0.16 point to close at a record high of 1,744.66. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7.45 to 15,392.20 and the Nasdaq composite index gained 5.77 to 3,920.05.

The Dow was dragged down by shares of fast-food giant McDonald's which topped earnings expectations by a penny, but also warned that global sales would be flat in October and for the rest of the year.

Though only a small percentage of S&P 500 stocks have reported earnings thus far, the season has been mixed, with revenue growth especially a concern. Still, profits have largely risen and many bellwether companies have topped expectations.

With 21 percent of S&P companies having reported, 61.5 percent have topped profit expectations, a rate slightly above the historical average. But only 52 percent have topped expectations on revenue, below the historical average of 61 percent.

The S&P 500 on Friday capped its biggest weekly gain in three months on stronger-than-expected earnings from Google and Morgan Stanley, as well as a deal in Washington temporarily resolving a political deadlock over the budget and raising the debt-ceiling.

Presented by Adam Justice