Hopes for the fledgling economic recovery got a boost Monday from better-than-expected news on manufacturing, construction and contracts to buy homes.

Even if it were the only one of its kind, Mike Estes’s brand-new, energy-efficient, wind-powered, water-conserving, environmentally sensitive John Deere dealership here would attract considerable attention in Kansas.

"Sell in May didn't work very well," says one market pro.  "I'm not sure September is going to be the evil month that many people expect."

Stocks got a weak start after the selloff in China but rebounded by midday after a report showed a surprise drop in crude inventories, which sent oil prices — and energy stocks — soaring.

Stocks got a weak start after the selloff in China but rebounded by midday after a report showed a surprise drop in crude inventories, which sent oil prices — and energy stocks — soaring.

Stocks moved back into correction mode Wednesday after Chinese stocks tumbled 5 percent, sending another ripple around the world.

Deere & Co., the world's largest maker of farm equipment, said its fiscal third-quarter profit dropped 27 percent as the global economic slowdown continued to depress sales.

World markets are back in selloff mode Wednesday, with Shanghai's 5 percent tumble the first indication that Tuesday's rally for world stocks might be a one-off event. 

The U.S. trade deficit edged up slightly in June as imports rose for the first time in 11 months, another sign that the worst recession since World War II is beginning to ease.

Investors should stay out of Russia until the fight against corruption and the rule of law improve in that country, William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, has been denied entry into Russia since 2006, told CNBC.

Stocks ended mixed Monday as a dismal jobs report last week and expectations for a gloomy earnings season nagged at the market. But the Dow eked out a gain amid some bargain hunting.

Stocks were under pressure Monday as a dismal jobs report last week and expectations for a gloomy earnings season nagged at the market. But the Dow turned positive as investors took advantage of the selloff and did some bargain hunting.

Stocks briefly pared their losses after a report showed improvement in the service sector.

After the long Independence Day weekend, futures indicated a lower open for Wall Street as second thoughts about the U.S. economy's recovery spooked investors after last week's worse-than-expected nonfarm payrolls numbers.

Out-of-work with no place to land, the legions of America's unemployed are growing. The Labor Department is scheduled to release a report Thursday expected to show the nation's unemployment rate edging closer to double digits.