Wall Street holds steady as investors brace for a high-stakes week

U.S. stocks are drifting Monday ahead of potential flashpoints looming later in the week that could bring more sharp swings for financial markets.

The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in morning trading, coming off a winning week in its whipsaw ride that’s been rattling investors for weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 145 points, or 0.4%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.

The relatively calm trading offers a respite following...