• Home Construction Slowing - According to the U.S. Commerce Department, housing starts fell 5.5% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million units.

• Foreign Stock Funds on the Rise - The most popular category of foreign stock funds returned an average of 14.9% this year and funds that focus on stocks from China and other emerging markets have returned 18.1%.

• Oil Prices Steady, For Now - Oil prices have steadied, after rising production in the U.S., Libya and Nigeria over the past month, which has “taken the edge off” an OPEC-led initiative to cut production.

• Wholesale Inventories Slip - According to the U.S. Commerce Department, wholesale inventories dropped 0.5% in April.

• Gymboree Files for Bankruptcy - Gymboree, a children's clothing retailer, announced it reached an agreement with lenders that will allow it to stay open as it begins a restructuring process.

• Tech Stocks Fall - Technology stocks fell across Europe and Asia, and were set to fall again on Wall Street after the worst day for Apple (AAPL.O) shares in over a year.

• May Jobs Numbers Lower Than Expected - Overall, there was “weak hiring and sluggish wage growth” in May. There were 138,000 jobs added, and average hourly wages rose just 2.5% on an annual basis.

• Yuan Rises Against Dollar - The yuan rose 0.5% against the dollar on Thursday, bringing its progress in the past four trading days to 1.2%.

• New Factory Orders Drop - According to the Commerce Department, new orders fell in April for the first time in five months.

• Aggressive Rate Hikes to Come? - According to Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan, there may be a “fairly aggressive path of rate hikes coupled with reductions in the central bank's balance sheet” for the rest of 2017.

• May Jobs Report Due This Week - Several economic reports are due this week with particular focus on the May employment report, which will show whether the job market was able to maintain its upswing.

• Oil Oversupply Worries - Oil prices fell on worries that cuts to oil output by the world's big exporters may not be enough to deplete a global glut that has depressed the market for almost three years.

• U.S. Stocks Rise - The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 100 points, the S&P 500 rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite grew half a percent.

• Changing Leadership at Ford Motors - Ford Motors fired CEO Mark Fields because of the company’s falling stock price, down 37% since July 2014, and uncertainty about the future.

• Import Taxes on Sugar - China recently announced that it will impose “hefty penalties” on sugar imports.

• NY Manufacturing Drops in May - According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, manufacturing in New York State dropped for the first time in seven months to minus 1 in May, from 5.2 in April (a reading below zero is an indication of contraction).

• Energy Ministers Agree to Extend Cuts - The energy ministers of Saudi Arabia (OPEC) and Russia (non-OPEC) recently met and agreed to do “whatever it takes to achieve the desired goal of stabilizing the market.”

• U.S. China Beef Deal - President Trump and his trade team took steps to clear two trade disputes with China that have negatively affected the U.S. livestock business for years.