The market finished the final session of the week little changed. However, it was off by more than 1% during early trading. The biggest report for the session was the initial reading on Q2 GDP, which came in slightly lower than expected. The news sent futures sharply lower in pre-market trading. But investors soon realized that the miss in GDP report shouldn't be too surprising given that business activities were in general weaker than expected during the month of June(possibly due to the World Cup event). And better-than-expected Chicago PMI report and July Consumer sentiment survey provided market participants new reasons to buy the dip. For the month as a whole, the S&P 500 gained 7%, the best monthly performance since July 2009.
 
Most major sectors finished the session little changed. The CRB commodity index was barely moved. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were higher. The three-month US LIBOR dropped 2bps to 45bps. The VIX index dropped less than 1 point. The market breath was neutral on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was on the light side.

The market moved lower for a second straight session. And similar to the past few sessions, the trading activities were quite dull as we are now in the middle of the summer. Earnings results were mixed. Disappointing results from Colgate and Kellogg sent their shares sharply lower. In other economic news, initial jobless claims came in at 457K, slightly better than 464K expected.
 
Most major sectors finished the session lower led by utilities and consumer staples. The CRB commodity index rose 1.5%. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were lower. The three-month US LIBOR dropped 1 bps to 47bps. The VIX index was little changed. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was on the light side.

The market showed some weakness on Wednesday although the losses were quite limited. Earnings continued to exceed expectations for most companies that were scheduled to report today. However, the market reaction was quite dull. In other economic news, durable goods orders for June showed a decline of 1.0% while an increase of 1.0% had been expected. The Fed's latest Beige Book stated that the economic recovery has slowed in some areas, which also added to the market nervousness.
 
Most major sectors finished the session lower led by tech. The CRB commodity index was lower. The US dollar was higher against most currencies. Treasury yields were lower. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index rose more than 1 point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was on the light side.

The market finished the Tuesday in a mixed fashion. Earnings results were divided. On the positive side, several European banks reported better-than-expected earnings results. In addition, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is set to allow less strict capital and requirements for banks. The news sent financial shares higher in the morning trade. On the negative side, US Steel missed its quarterly earnings estimates and saw its shares sharply lower. Separately, the consumer confidence index for July came in at 50.4, below 61.0 that had been expected.
 
Most major sectors finished the session little changed. The CRB commodity index was barely moved. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were higher. The three-month US LIBOR dropped 1 bps to 48bps. The VIX index rose less than 1 point. The market breath was neutral on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was on the light side.

The market moved higher once again in the opening session of the new week. The Dow, meanwhile, posted its third triple-digit gain. Better-than-expected corporate news and economic news were behind today's strong rally. FedEx, a global shipment company, not only beat its earnings expectations in the latest quarter but raised its forecast for the next quarter. The news was seen as a sign of strong economy worldwide. Separately, new home sales for June rose to 330K annualized units, better than 310K expected. However, the previous figure was revised lower.
 
All 10 major sectors finished the session higher led by industrials and financials. The CRB commodity index was barely moved. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were little changed. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index dropped less than 1 point. The market breath was positive on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was on the light side.