Stocks were choppy Tuesday ahead of some high-profile earnings due out later this week and the July jobs report, set for release early Friday. Today, though, Wall Street weighed data from the manufacturing sector and the labor market, as well as solid earnings from blue chip stock Caterpillar (CAT).
Shortly after the opening bell rang, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its manufacturing index rose to 46.4% in July from June's reading of 46.0%. Still, this marked the ninth straight month the index has stayed in contraction territory. The ISM's employment index, which reflects employment changes in industrial companies, also remained in contraction territory, at 44.4%.
