The market rose modestly on Friday and finished the week modestly lower. The past September is the best September for the S&P 500 since 1939. We had some mixed economic news in today's trading. Personal income rose 0.5%, beating expectation. Spending increased 0.4%, also better than 0.3% expected. The final reading on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan improved to 68.2 from 66.6, also better than forecast. The ISM Manufacturing Index, on the other hand, came in below consensus at 54.4.
 
Most major sectors finished the session higher led by energy and materials. The CRB commodity index dipped 0.4%. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were higher. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index dropped more than one point. The market breath was positive on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was neutral compared to the previous session.

The market finished the Thursday modestly lower after touching a multi-month high in early trading. Most economic news for the session was on the positive side. The final reading on second quarter GDP was revised slightly higher to 1.7% from 1.6% mainly due to an upward revision in the consumption unit, which was revised to 2.2% from a previous reading of 2.0%. Initial jobless claims came in at 453K, better than 457K expected. The Chicago PMI, meanwhile, improved to 60.4 from 56.7, also better than 56.0 expected. Investors mostly ignored a Moody's decision to downgrade Spain's debt.
 
Most major sectors finished the session lower led by tech and utilities. The CRB commodity index rose 0.3%. The US dollar was higher against most currencies. Treasury yields were lower. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index rose less than one point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was neutral compared to the previous session.

The market finished another lackluster session on Wednesday and all three major indexes were lower by around 0.2%. There is little economic news that is able to make headlines in today's trading but things will pick up tomorrow. With one day remaining in the third quarter, the market is on track for a quarterly gain of around 10%, most of which is due to a strong 9% gain so far in September. We also should remember that historically the month is the weakest for equities. 
 
Most major sectors finished the session lower led by materials and financials. The CRB commodity index rose 0.6%. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were higher. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index rose less than one point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was neutral compared to the previous session.

The market regained its lost ground in the previous session despite some negative economic news. The resilience shows that the underlying strength is still working towards a higher price. The September Consumer Confidence Index came in below consensus at a seven-month low of 48.5. The dollar, meanwhile, hit a fresh seven-month low as the euro gained 1.0% against the dollar. There is wide expectation among market participants that the Fed is going to flood the market by exercising QE(quantitative easing) II. 
 
All 10 major sectors finished the session higher led by health care and consumer staples. The CRB commodity index was little changed. The US dollar was lower against most currencies. Treasury yields were lower. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index rose less than one point. The market breath was positive on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was heavier compared to the previous session.

The market started the new week in a lackluster fashion. The S&P 500 gave back 0.5% after gaining 2% in the previous Friday. There is little economic or corporate news that really has influence in today's trading. As a result, the volume was quite low with less than 1 billion shares changed hands on the NYSE. Since the beginning of September, trading volume on the NYSE only surpassed 1 billion shares for four times.
 
Most major sectors finished the session lower led by financials and industrials. The CRB commodity index rose 0.2%. The US dollar was higher against most currencies. Treasury yields were lower. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged. The VIX index rose less than one point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was lighter compared to the previous session.