US: Stocks open busy data week little changed

[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks opened little changed on Monday as a heavy week of US economic reports and earnings kicked off with data showing a slight rise in consumer spending in June.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 17,681.21, down 8.65 points (0.05 per cent).

The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.30 (0.01 per cent) at 2,104.14, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 6.82 (0.13 per cent) to 5,135.11.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 per cent of US economic activity, rose 0.2 per cent in June after a 0.7 per cent gain in May and a 0.3 per cent increase in April, according to Commerce Department data.

The most anticipated economic release of the week comes Friday with the July jobs report. Earnings reports include Twenty-First Century Fox and Disney.

AFP