The US markets closed mostly lower on Monday, but ended June and the second quarter higher. The S&P 500 recorded the fifth consecutive month of gains and the biggest second-quarter gain since 2009. On the economy front, Chicago PMI retreated in June after hitting a seven-month high in May. It slipped to 62.6 in June from 65.5 in May. A fall in new orders led the decline in June. But the index remains above 60 for the third straight month, signaling a bounce-back in the second quarter after a sharp decline in first quarter gross domestic product. Also, a gauge of pending home sales jumped 6.1% in May to reach the highest level in eight months, signaling that upcoming closings of existing homes are likely to speed up. The index of pending home sales hit 103.9 in May, compared with 97.9 in April. The report stated that low mortgage rates, a growing number of homes on the market and stronger job creation will all fuel more deals. Although pending sales have risen three months in row, first-quarter closings were weak enough that National Association of Realtors expects them to drag down 2014’s total sales tally below last year’s result.
Meanwhile, John C. Williams, President and CEO of the San Francisco Federal Reserve stated that the Federal Reserve’s continued accommodation has been absolutely the right stance to take. Williams also stressed that the Fed’s so-called unconventional monetary policies, including the large-scale asset purchases program commonly referred to as quantitative easing, are not radical or unprecedented.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 25.24 points or 0.15 percent to 16,826.60, the S&P 500 was down by 0.73 points or 0.04 percent at 1,960.23 while, the Nasdaq was up 10.25 points or 0.23 percent to 4,408.18.
Indian ADRs closed mostly in green on Monday; ICICI Bank was up 1.12%, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was up 0.58%, HDFC Bank was up 0.40%, Tata Motors was up 0.39% and Infosys was up by 0.06%.
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