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US Stock Market Overview – Stocks Rise Led by Real-estate as the ISM Manufacturing Report Beat Expectations

By:
David Becker

Construction spending declined

US Stock Market Overview – Stocks Rise Led by Real-estate as the ISM Manufacturing Report Beat Expectations

US stock prices moved higher on Monday, driven up by a stronger than expected ISM Manufacturing report. U.S. construction spending dropped a smaller than expected 2.9% in April. Most sectors in the S&P 500 index were higher, driven up by real-estate and energy, healthcare bucked the trend. Retail names like Coty and Gap led the S&P 500 index higher. The VIX volatility index moved higher despite a rally in stocks. This shows that options traders are still concerned about a correction. After the closing bell both Zoom and Crowdstrike released financial results.

US Manufacturing Unexpectedly Rose

The Institute of Supply Management reported on Monday that US manufacturing activity rose from an 11-year low in May, the strongest sign yet that the worst of the economic downturn could be in the rear-view mirror. According to ISM the national factory activity rose to a reading of 43.1 last month from 41.5 in April, which was the lowest level since April 2009. Expectations had been for the index to climb to  43.0 in May.

The ISM’s new orders sub-index increased to a reading of 31.8 in May from 27.1 in April, which was the lowest since December 2008. The survey’s measure of order backlogs at factories rose to 38.2 last month after plummeting to a reading of 37.8 in April. There was also an uptick in the ISM’s measure of factory employment, which advanced to a reading of 32.1 in May after plunging to 27.5 in the prior month, which was the lowest since February 1949.

US Construction Spending Dropped

US construction spending dropped a smaller than expected 2.9% in April, according to the Commerce Department. Expectations had forecast a 6.8% plunge due to the coronavirus pandemic. Residential construction sank 4.5% in April, but spending on construction projects outside the housing sector fell a much smaller 1.8%.

About the Author

David Becker focuses his attention on various consulting and portfolio management activities at Fortuity LLC, where he currently provides oversight for a multimillion-dollar portfolio consisting of commodities, debt, equities, real estate, and more.

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