Tuesday

Stocks finished the month of May on a cheerful note, shrugging off a spate of weak economic data as investors approved a new bailout plan for Greece. In spite of weaker readings on home prices, regional manufacturing and consumer confidence, all but one of the 30 Dow components and all 10 sectors of the S&P 500 were in positive territory. Tech and health-care stocks led the gains, with Pfizer adding 2.5%, Cisco Systems up 2.1% and Merck adding 1.5%. DJIA +128.21 Nasdaq +38.44 S&P 500 +14.10.

Wednesday

Stocks snapped a three-session losing streak as investors rode a boost in commodities prices to snap up shares of energy, materials and industrial companies. Leading the climb were stocks aligned to global growth. Caterpillar gained 1.7%, while DuPont added 1.8%, and Alcoa rose 1.4%. The gains came as precious metals and other commodities rose. Stocks spent much of the morning in negative territory after a weak economic reading and dispiriting results from some companies, but turned positive after credit-ratings firm Fitch Ratings said it doesn't foresee any ratings actions on German banks as a result of their exposure to Greece. DJIA +38.45 Nasdaq +15.22 S&P 500 +4.19.

Tuesday

Stocks registered a third consecutive day of losses after manufacturing data combined with worries about Europe's debt-laden countries continued to weigh on investor sentiment. On the economic front, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region is contracting this month after seven months of expansion. The service sector also slowed, but remained in expansion. Worries about Europe still lingered today. Moody's Investors Services warned that a Greek debt restructuring could affect the credit ratings of other European governments and could lead to rating downgrades for Greek banks. DJIA -25.05 Nasdaq -12.74 S&P 500 -1.09.

Monday

U.S. stocks plummeted as investors' concerns over the financial health of European governments triggered a flight to safer assets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%, with all but one component, McDonald's, in the red. Technology and energy stocks led the Standard & Poor's to slump 1.2%. The technology-oriented Nasdaq lost 1.6%. In the absence of major U.S. earnings reports or economic data, investors focused on negative headlines from Europe, including a Standard & Poor's outlook cut on Italian debt and regional election losses for Spain's ruling Socialist party. DJIA -130.78 Nasdaq -44.42 S&P 500 -15.90.

Wednesday

Stocks snapped a three-day losing streak today as the Federal Reserve's minutes showed central-bank officials are in no hurry to tighten monetary policy even as they held detailed exit-strategy talks. Federal Reserve officials appeared to agree that letting the central bank's balance sheet slowly shrink was likely to be the first step toward tightening monetary policy. Nevertheless, they aren't ready to start executing the plan until they are sure the economy can bear it. Caterpillar, Chevron and Exxon Mobil helped power the Dow Jones Industrial Average up .7%. The Standard & Poor's rise was led by the materials and energy sectors. DJIA +80.60 Nasdaq +31.79 S&P 500 +11.70.