After last week’s red zone ending, the markets opened Monday higher on favorable economic news. The ISM Manufacturing Index climbed to 52.8, from 51.5 in April, exceeding estimates of 51.8. Elsewhere, U.S. Personal Income ticked up 0.4% in April following flat activity in March. On Tuesday, reports showed Factory Orders declined in April, which sent the markets lower. New Orders for manufactured goods fell 0.4%, a deeper dip than expected. By mid-week, strong performance in the Financial sector led the markets higher. Elsewhere, the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, which covered activity from early April through mid-May, showed modest or moderate growth throughout most sectors. Labor markets improved or remained stable, with wages on a slight increase. On Thursday, a dip in Energy stocks weighed on the markets. That dip continued on Friday with poor performance in Telecom stocks. On another note, Labor Department data showed the economy added 280,000 jobs in May. Economists had expected an addition of 210,000 jobs. The unemployment rate edged up to 5.5% from 5.4%.
