Monday saw several blue-chip stocks, including IBM, Chevron and Apple, trading lower. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 4.1% to settle at $45.17 a barrel. Personal income growth rose 0.4% in June, while consumer spending ticked up by 0.2%, missing expectations of 0.3%. Indices continued downward on Tuesday, despite news that orders for manufactured goods gained 1.8% in June, in line with the consensus forecast. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 index rebounded after three consecutive days of decline. The ISM Nonmanufacturing Index posted its second consecutive gain and the largest since 2008. The July survey bucks other economic data that suggest the economy was off to a slow start in the quarter. Stocks dipped amid a retreat in crude oil on Thursday. On another note, Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims increased by 3,000 to 270,000 last week. On Friday, the Labor Department released July’s data, showing the economy added 215,000 jobs last month, versus expectations of 225,000 additions. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.35%.
