NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks cut losses, ending mixed Monday, as worries about the duration of the recession were tempered by a rally in select blue chips.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 44 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index rose 2 points, or 0.3% and the Nasdaq (COMP) fell 9 points, or 0.5%.

Stocks slipped through the early afternoon as investors eyed falling oil prices and a better-than-expected report on the services sector of the economy from the Institute for Supply Management. But a late-session run up in biotechs and consumer issues helped the Dow turn positive.

"With a bounce in the U.S. dollar, money moved out of the volatile commodity area and into more defensive areas like consumer staples," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Stocks slipped Thursday in the last session of a holiday-shortened trading week after a weaker-than-expected jobs report fueled worries about the economy. All financial markets were closed Friday for the Independence Day weekend.

Monday's trading was partly a continued response to Thursday's job report, said Paul Brigandi, vice president of trading at Direxion Funds.

"People are in 'show me' mode," he said. "They want to see hard evidence that the recession is going to end later this year or early next. That jobs report was an indication that the recovery is a little further off than what people expect."

Stocks rallied for three months, with the S&P 500 gaining 40%, on bets that the economy is closer to stabilizing. But stocks have drifted lower in the last three weeks on concerns that the run-up was too much, too soon.

There are no market-moving economic reports on tap for Tuesday.

On the move: Commodity, homebuilding, technology and retail shares were among the big decliners Monday.

On the Dow industrials, Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500) led the declines, falling along with the price of oil. But that was countered by strength in heavily-weighted components such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500), Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) and Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500).

Financial shares Travelers (TRV, Fortune 500), American Express (AXP, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) gained as well.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners three to two on volume of 1.14 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers by eight to five on volume of 2 billion shares.

GM: General Motors' (GMGMQ) restructuring plan has been approved by a federal judge, clearing the way for the troubled automaker to emerge from bankruptcy.

The automaker will be allowed to sell most of its assets to a new company, which should clear the way for it to exit bankruptcy. The judge's ruling came after a three-day hearing ended Thursday.

The company has received $50 billion in taxpayer funds. In exchange, the U.S. government will get a majority stake in the new GM. Other owners include the Canadian government and the United Auto Workers union.

GM shares fell 14.4%.

Other company news: Pepsi (PEP, Fortune 500) and Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG, Fortune 500) will invest an additional $1 billion in Russia over the next three years in an effort to counter weak domestic sales by boosting profits in emerging markets. The two companies have now invested more than $4 billion in Russia.

Rio Tinto (RTP) sold a division of its Alcan unit for $1.2 billion as it seeks to cut debt after the 2007 purchase of the Canadian aluminum company. The sale of Alcan's packaged food division to U.S.-based Bemis is a cash-and-stock deal.

0:00 /5:20Is stimulus helping jobs?

Oil: Energy prices tumbled, with U.S. light crude oil for August delivery falling $2.68 to settle at $64.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the benchmark 10-year note yield to 3.51% from 3.49% late Thursday. Bond markets were closed Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trade, Asian markets tumbled and European markets ended lower.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and the yen.

COMEX gold for August delivery settled down $6.70 at $924.30 an ounce.

Economic reports: The Institute for Supply Management's services index rose to 47 in June from 44 in May, which still indicated a contracting sector. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought it would rise to 46. 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks tumbled Thursday, with the Dow losing 212 points, after a worse-than-expected jobs report hammered hopes that the economy is close to stabilizing.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 212 points, or 2.5%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index lost 27 points, or 2.9% and the Nasdaq (COMP) fell 49 points, or 2.7%.

The New York Stock Exchange extended trading until 4:15 p.m. ET, so as to allow customers to put through orders that were impacted by system irregularities. The NYSE did not specify what the irregularities were.

Stocks tumbled at the open and remained in the red throughout the session as investors considered the broader implications of the dismal June jobs report.

"The report was kind of a rude awakening and unfortunately I think there's more to come," said Joseph Saluzzi, co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading.

"People are realizing that the stock market rally doesn't mean the economy is coming back."

Since bottoming at a 12-year low, the S&P 500 had surged over 40% through June 11. But in the weeks since then, it has lost 5% of that.

Jobs report: Employers cut 467,000 jobs from their payrolls in June, after cutting 322,000 jobs in May, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That made June the first month in four in which job losses rose from the previous month. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected 365,000 job losses.

The unemployment rate, generated by a separate survey, rose to 9.5% from 9.4%, short of forecasts for an increase to 9.6%.

"The report was terrible," said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc."It's telling us that there is a lot more pain than people realize that we are going to have to get through before there can be a recovery."

On the move: Declines were broad based, with all 30 Dow stocks falling, led by oil components Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500). IBM (IBM, Fortune 500), Boeing (BA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500), United Technologies (UTX, Fortune 500) and Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) were the other big losers.

Economically sensitive trucking and railroad stocks plunged, dragging down the Dow Jones Transportation (DJT) average by 3.7%.

Financial shares tumbled, including Dow components American Express (AXP, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Travelers Companies (TRV, Fortune 500).

Market breadth was negative and volume was light with Wall Street pros checking out early for the holiday. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers topped winners by over four to one on volume of 733 million shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners beat advancers five to one on volume of 1.95 billion shares.

All financial markets are closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday.

Weak start to new quarter: Stocks climbed Wednesday on the first day of the third quarter as investors found some encouragement in the day's housing and manufacturing reports. But the advance lost steam Thursday, with the jobs report giving investors a reason to retreat after a strong second quarter.

In the April-through-June period, the S&P 500 gained 15.2%, its best quarter in more than a decade. The Dow rose 11% and the Nasdaq 20%. Both indexes posted their best quarters since the second of 2003. Stocks rallied on hopes that the economy was starting to stabilize after the six months of panic that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September.

But lately, stocks have churned on concerns that the market got ahead of itself.

Economic news: Normally a market mover, the weekly jobless claims report was overshadowed by the June payrolls report.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment fell to 614,000 last week from a revised 630,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported. Economists thought claims would fall to 615,000.

May factory orders rose 1.2%, the Commerce Department reported, versus forecasts for a rise of 0.9%. Factory orders rose a revised 0.5% in April.

Company news: In deal news, Exelon (EXC, Fortune 500) has sweetened its hostile takeover offer for rival power generator NRG Energy (NRG, Fortune 500). The all-stock offer is $8 billion versus the previous offer of $7 billion.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) will take an 18% equity stake in biotech Elan (ELN) in exchange for a $1 billion investment. J&J will also buy Elan's share of its Alzheimer's disease treatment program with Wyeth.

U.S.-traded shares of Elan gained 11% in active New York Stock Exchange trading.

Commodities: Energy prices tumbled, with U.S. light crude oil for August delivery falling $2.37 to $66.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for August delivery fell $10.60 to settle at $930.70 an ounce.

Bonds: Treasury prices rallied, lowering the benchmark 10-year note yield to 3.5% from 3.53%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trade, Asian and European markets ended lower.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and fell against the yen. 

At 4:15 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were higher.

Futures measure current index values against the perceived future performance.

On Tuesday, stocks fell on a weaker-than-expected consumer confidence report and a slump in oil prices.

Nevertheless, it was the end of a positive quarter for the markets. The S&P 500 gained 15%, marking its best quarter since the final three months of 1998.

All financial markets are closed Friday for the Independence Day weekend.

Economic reports on tap: The June reading on private-sector employment from payroll services firm ADP is scheduled to be released at 8:15 a.m. ET. Employers are expected to have cut 394,000 jobs from their payrolls in June after cutting 532,000 in May.

Pending home sales, due out at 10 a.m. ET from the National Association of Realtors, is forecast to be unchanged in May after rising 6.7% in April.

Also at 10 a.m. ET, the Institute for Supply Management's June manufacturing index is expected to have risen to 44.6 from 42.8 in May, according to forecasts.

May construction spending, released by the Commerce Department at 10 a.m. ET, is expected to have fallen 0.6% after posting a surprise rise of 0.8% in April.

The weekly crude oil inventories report from the Energy Information Administration is scheduled to be released midway through the morning. June auto and truck sales are due throughout the day.

World markets: Asian markets slipped Wednesday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 0.2%. European stocks were higher in early trading.

Oil and money: The price of oil climbed 93 cents to $70.82 a barrel. The dollar was higher against the yen and British pound, but lower versus the euro.  

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks slipped Tuesday, at the end of the S&P 500's best quarter in more than a decade, with a weaker-than-expected consumer confidence report and a slump in oil prices sparking the selloff.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 82 points, or 0.9%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index lost 8 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) gave up 9 points, or 0.5%.

Stocks gained Monday as investors scooped up shares hit in the recent selloff. But the advance petered out Tuesday at the end of a strong quarter on Wall Street. The S&P 500 gained 15.2% in the April through June period for its best quarter since the final three months of 1998.

Tuesday brought a reading that showed consumer confidence slipped in June after rising in the last two months. That setback was weighing on stocks, said John Wilson, chief technical strategist at Morgan Keegan. But the weakness was also part of a broader pullback after the spring rally.

The S&P 500 surged 40% after bouncing off 12-year lows hit March 9. But in the last two weeks, stocks have fallen modestly as investors have worried that the market got ahead of any economic improvement.

"The path of least resistance appears to be up, but I see no new catalyst," Wilson said.

He said that it's possible that the second-quarter results, which start pouring in later in July, could give the market a lift -- particularly if the banks, techs or homebuilders have something good to say.

Other than that, "I would not be surprised to see stocks continue to consolidate sideways in the third quarter and then ramp up again in the fourth quarter," he said.

Strong quarter: The Dow gained 11% this quarter, posting its best three-month period since the second quarter of 2003. The Nasdaq has gained 20% and is on track to post its best quarter since the second of 2003.

But weakness in the first quarter means first half of 2009 results are less upbeat. The Dow is down 3.8%, the S&P is up 1.7% and the Nasdaq is up 16.4%.

Economic reports : The June Consumer Confidence index from the Conference Board fell to 49.3 from a revised 54.8 in May, versus forecasts for a rise to 55.3.

The S&P/Case Shiller 20-city home price index fell 18.1% in April from a year ago versus forecasts for a drop of 18.6%.

But on a month-over-month basis, the index showed some improvement. Prices fell 0.6% versus March, after posting a 2.2% drop in the previous month.

The Chicago PMI, a regional read on manufacturing, rose to 39.9 in June from 34.9 in May. Economists thought it would rise to 39.

A slew of reports are jammed in to the remaining days of the holiday-shortened trading week.

Wednesday brings a report on June private-sector employment from payroll services firm ADP, a precursor to Thursday's more closely watched government jobs report.

The pending home sales index from the National Association of Realtors and the Institute for Supply Management's June manufacturing index are also due Wednesday. Other reports on tap include May construction spending and June auto and truck sales.

In addition to the monthly jobs report, Thursday brings readings on factory orders and weekly jobless claims.

All financial markets are closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday.

Oil and the dollar: Strength in the greenback dragged on oil and other dollar-traded commodities.

In currency trading, the dollar rallied versus the euro and the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for August delivery fell $1.60 to settle at $69.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

That dragged on big oil services stocks, including Dow components Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500). Other Dow stock losers included Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) and IBM (IBM, Fortune 500).

Bonds: Treasury prices slipped, raising the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 3.51% from 3.47% Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

0:00 /2:47Ballmer: Economy has reset

Other markets: In global trade, Asian and European markets ended mixed.

COMEX gold for August delivery fell $13.60 to settle at $927.40 an ounce.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners three to two on volume of 1.33 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers five to four on volume of 2.12 billion shares. 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks rallied Monday, with oil and technology shares leading the way as investors scooped up shares hit in the recent retreat, at the start of a holiday-shortened trading week.

Also in focus was Bernard Madoff, who was sentenced to the maximum 150 years in prison for orchestrating the biggest Ponzi scheme in modern history.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 91 points, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index gained 8 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) added 6 points, or 0.3%.

All financial markets are closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday weekend. Ahead of that, a slew of economic reports are due, including readings on housing, manufacturing and the labor market.

Stocks are likely to be volatile this week due to the confluence of the holiday, the heavy spate of economic news and the quarter end, said Brian Battle, vice president at Performance Trust Capital Partners.

"Trading will be thinner than usual, particularly toward the end of the week, with a lot of guys taking off early ahead of the holiday," Battle said. "It's going to be very whippy and we shouldn't pay too much attention to 100-point swings."

Stocks could benefit Monday and Tuesday from some end-of-quarter machinations as market pros look to "window dress" their portfolios before closing the books. Generally, that impact is positive as money managers look to add the quarter's big winners to their portfolios.

Regarding the Madoff verdict, Battle said that Wall Street will be relieved that he got the maximum. But he said there may be concern that the scandal will mean increased government regulation of money management.

The Dow and S&P 500 have closed lower for the last two weeks as a more than 3-month rally has lost steam. The S&P 500 had surged more than 40% on bets that the economy is close to stabilizing. But worries that stocks have risen too far, too fast have dragged on sentiment lately.

The Nasdaq inched higher last week after falling the week before.

Reports are due Tuesday on consumer confidence, regional manufacturing and home prices.

On the move: Of the 30 Dow issues, 29 rose, with Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) the lone decliner.

Rising oil prices boosted Dow oil components Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500). Other big Dow gainers included Boeing (BA, Fortune 500), United Technologies (UTX, Fortune 500), Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500), Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500) and 3M (MMM, Fortune 500).

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs is back on the job after a nearly 6-month medical leave, the company said Monday. Jobs is reportedly in the office a few days a week and working from home the other days.

Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) is buying fellow energy company Teppco Partners (TPP) in a $3.3 billion deal that creates the largest U.S. publicly traded energy partnership.

Watson Wyatt Worldwide (WW) will merge with fellow consulting firm Towers Perrin in an all-stock deal valued at $3.5 billion. The combined company will be called Towers Watson.

Market breadth was mixed. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners topped losers three to two on volume of 1.07 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners beat advancers seven to six on volume of 2.04 billion shares.

Bonds: Treasury prices rallied, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note falling to 3.48% from 3.54% Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trade, Asian markets ended lower and European markets ended higher.

U.S. light crude oil for August delivery rose $2.33 or 3.4% to settle at $71.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for August delivery fell 30 cents to settle at $940.70 an ounce.

In currency trading, the dollar fell versus the euro and the yen.