The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that the S&P 500 ended lower on Monday as oil prices tumbled on optimism about a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says meanwhile, Apple shares dipped ahead of the iPhone maker's quarterly report and investors awaited Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. The Toronto Stock Exchange ended higher, getting a boost from materials stocks thanks to stronger gold prices. Longer-dated U.S. Treasury yields moved lower and crude oil prices fell as Iran indicated it was open to peace talks after eight months of war that have kept energy prices elevated and stoked inflation. U.S. crude oil futures settled 7.4 per cent lower at $96.46 (U.S.) a barrel. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note in late afternoon trading was down 3.3 basis points at 4.896 per cent, its third daily decline in a row. The Dow finished higher. Nasdaq fell 5.3 per cent in October after a sell-off Friday related to worries that massive spending on AI infrastructure is outpacing near-term cash generation. The S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up 181.06 points at 35,801.09, recouping some of Friday's steep decline. The real estate sector ended 2.6 per cent higher.