Stocks are indicated mixed on a relatively slow news day Monday. Less than an hour before the start of trading in New York, stock index futures indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average might open the week with a modest 10 or 20-point loss.
A busy week of economic news kicked off with a report on personal incomes and spending. While incomes rose .4 percent in May, and .1 percent less than economists had predicted, spending increased by 2 percent and two times more than expected.
Consumer confidence numbers are due out Tuesday and investors get their first peek at the June jobs situation courtesy ADP’s private sector report Wednesday. Weekly claims, construction spending, ISM, and pending homes sales are slated for Wednesday. The Labor Department releases its jobs numbers Friday morning.
Meanwhile, overseas markets are trading quietly after G-20 members met over the weekend and ironed out plans to cut deficits. Stocks are trading mostly higher across Europe, with .9 percent gain in Germany’s DAX helping to pace the advance. The euro lost .0041 to 1.223 against the dollar. The action was mixed in Asia. Japan’s Nikkei lost .5 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added .2 percent.
Crude oil slipped 54 cents to $78.34 a barrel and gold lost $2.0 to $1254.20 an ounce.
Bonds are seeing modest gains on G-20 pledges of sovereign debt reduction. The benchmark ten-year Treasury is up 3/32nd and now yields 3.095 percent.
Among the stocks to watch, Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE) might help the Dow in early trading after the latest issue of Barron’s made a bullish case for big pharmaceutical stocks. BP shares rose nearly 5 percent after Tropical Storm Alex shifted away from the Gulf spill oil site. MEMC (WFR) is under pressure after Goldman initiated the stock with a Sell rating. Micron Technology (MU) might see action ahead of earnings, due out after the closing bell.