US Stocks Ended In The Black Yesterday Ahead Of May Employment Report

US stocks closed marginally higher yesterday, with the energy and technology sectors leading the gains. However, profits remained modest ahead of the May employment data that is scheduled to be released today. In yesterday’s earlier trading hours, stocks rose in light of the mixed job reports. According to Morgan Keegan & Company’s managing director Kevin Giddis, the reports "reinforce the conclusion that most of us have already reached: The domestic economy continues to regain some of the ground it lost during the Great Recession, but without the inflationary pressures that typically accompany faster-paced recoveries.” The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded in a 140-point range yesterday and ended 0.06% or 5.74 points higher at 10,255.28. The S&P 500 Index climbed 0.4%, or 4.45 points, to close at 1,102.83. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.96%, or 21.96 points to 2,303.03. Cisco Systems Inc CSCO led the gains at the Dow, by rising 1.58% to $23.72. Some of the Dow stocks that shed the most include Home Depot Inc HD, which lost 1.30% to $33.43, and DuPont DD, which dropped 1.13% to $35.78. Among the 10 industry groups of the S&P, technology and energy performed the best, while the materials sector faired the worst. Equinox Fund Management’s chief executive Bob Enck remarked, "The situation in Europe is not fully played out, and any significant bad news around PIIGS countries [Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain] could put a damper on otherwise favorable news here in the United States." Read more from Benzinga's Markets.