The main US stock indices grew moderately on the first trading day of the month, which was supported by the positive reporting of a number of companies. Meanwhile, the pressure on the market had a strong drop in oil quotations, ambiguous statistics on the US, as well as political uncertainty in Washington.
As it became known, Americans increased spending in June by the smallest amount in five months. Consumer spending rose 0.1% in June, which corresponds to the smallest increase in 2017. This was in line with the forecast of economists. Meanwhile, revenue growth and inflation remained unchanged.
At the same time, the July data showed a noticeable improvement in the conditions in the manufacturing sector of the United States. The seasonally adjusted final PMI index in the US industry from IHS Markit rose to 53.3 in July from 52.0 in June, and signaled further improvement in the sector. The growth was largely due to the expansion in the components of the release and new orders. Meanwhile, firms added jobs and increased purchasing activity at the fastest pace since February. Business confidence reached a six-month high, as firms have become more optimistic about the future release.
In addition, a report published by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed that in July, activity in the US manufacturing sector deteriorated more than forecast. The PMI index for the manufacturing sector was 56.3 points versus 57.8 points in June. Analysts had expected the figure to drop to 56.5 points.
Most components of the DOW index recorded a rise (20 out of 30). The leader of growth was shares of Intel Corporation (INTC, + 2.33%). Outsider were shares of The Boeing Company (BA, -1.11%).
Most sectors of the S & P index finished trading in positive territory. The financial sector grew most (+ 0.7%). The greatest decrease was shown by the conglomerate sector (-0.4%).
At closing:
DJIA + 0.33% 21,963.03 +71.91
Nasdaq + 0.23% 6.362.94 +14.82
S & P + 0.24% 2.476.33 +6.03