Stocks Hold on to Gains as Investors Digest Economic Data

Stocks are holding on to their gains, with all three major indexes still in green. However, the gains have been modest as investors assess the latest set of economic data.

At last check, the Dow Jones was trading 0.34% higher at 12,995.81, the S&P 500 was trading 0.44% higher at 1,371.65, and the Nasdaq was trading 0.51% higher at 2,982.02.

All sectors in the S&P 500 are holding on to their gains. Consumer Cyclical and Financials have been among the best performers in trading today. At last check, Consumer Cyclical stocks were trading 0.91% higher, while Financials were trading 0.99% higher. Basic Materials stocks are currently trading 0.64% higher. Energy stocks are up 0.59%. Technology stocks are currently trading 0.25% higher.

Among the major gainers and losers in trading currently are The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), which is currently trading 2.35% higher at $24.35, Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), which is currently trading 29.45% higher at $36.35, Babcock & Wilcox Co. (NYSE: BWC), which is currently trading 6.22% higher at $27.34, Sothebys (NYSE: BID), which is currently trading 8.62% lower at $35.95, Sauer-Danfoss Inc. (NYSE: SHS), which is currently trading 9.92% lower at $48.77, Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR), which is currently trading 2.22% lower at $19.84, and  Veolia Environment Ve SA (ADR) (NYSE: VE), which is currently trading 15.50% higher at $14.01.

On the economic front, a report released by the Commerce Department earlier today showed construction spending fell slightly in the month of January. According to figures released by the Commerce Department, construction spending dropped 0.1% in January.

Meanwhile, a separate report showed that manufacturing activity in the U.S. expanded in February at a slower pace than forecast. The Institute for Supply Management’s index of manufacturing activity fell from 54.1 in January to 52.4 in February.

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Post Written By: Ed Liston Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.