U.S. market indexes traded basically flat on Monday as the market valued in new economic data and possible delays in the Federal Reserve’s plans for a rate increase. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower at 17,705.91 for a loss of -34.72 points or -0.20 percent. The S&P 500 was higher, closing at 2,058.69 for a gain of 1.55 points or 0.08 percent. The Nasdaq Composite traded higher closing at 4,750.21 for a gain of 14.05 points or 0.30 percent.

Source: DJIA, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. Google Finance.

Economic Indicators

Friday’s lower jobs report has changed the outlook slightly for the second half of the year. Combined with a lower first quarter reading on GDP, many companies are downgrading their assumptions and slowing the number of jobs they’re adding. The leading economic report for Monday was the Labor Market Conditions Index which fell -0.9 points, continuing to show further losses despite the broader strength that has been occurring in previous months in the labor market.

Daily Market Movers

 No first quarter earnings reports for the Dow Jones Industrial Average led to stable trading Monday for the Index. Dow stocks actively traded on Monday included Apple, Pfizer and General Electric. Leading stocks gaining for the day in the Dow Jones Industrial Average included Wal-Mart, Merck, Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer. Pfizer’s gain for the day was mostly led by the firm’s continued momentum after its positive earnings report last week which showed revenue of $13 billion for the first quarter, beating analysts’ expectations and increasing from the comparable quarter by 19.7 percent. Earnings per share also beat analysts’ expectations with EPS of $0.67. Pfizer gained 0.77 percent on Monday. Leading losses in the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Caterpillar and Chevron as energy and mining stocks declined Monday consistent with lower oil prices. Leading sectors in the broad market reporting gains were healthcare and utilities while energy stocks were lower with a sector decrease of -1.39 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite traded higher Monday closing at 4,750.21 for a gain of 14.05 points or 0.30 percent. In the technology sector overall Biomarin and Cerner led stock gains while Endo International and Tesla led losses. Tesla reported a loss of -6.01 points or -2.80 percent to close for the day at $208.92 as industry analysts continued to remain skeptical about the company’s projected automotive deliveries.

Small-Cap Stocks

In small-caps, the Russell 2000 reported a gain of 3.53 points or 0.32 percent to close at 1,118.25. The small-cap S&P 600 closed at 687.87 on Monday for a loss of -0.06 points or -0.01 percent. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 6,846.90 for a gain of 21.33 points or 0.31 percent. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM closed at 8,146.26 for a loss of -8.45 points or -0.10 percent.

Other Notable Indexes

Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index which closed at 1,453.12 for a gain of 0.41 points or 0.03 percent; the Russell 3000 which closed at 1,211.62 for a gain of 1.07 points or 0.09 percent; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index which closed at 584.60 for a loss of -0.50 points or -0.09 percent.