Stocks slip to begin August following their best month since 2020; European stocks close slightly lower to start August; Pearson up 13% 
Stocks fell on Monday as trading opened in August, with some investors questioning whether the recent rally has further to run following the best month since 2020. 
All three major indexes snapped three-day winning streaks, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.28% to end at 4,118.63. The Nasdaq Composite lost 0.18% and closed at 12,368.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 46.73 points, or 0.14%, to end at 32,798.40. 
The 30-stock Dow slipped even though Boeing jumped 6.13% after the U.S. approved a plan to resume 787 deliveries. 
The energy sector was a big drag on the market as oil prices fell. Shares of Diamondback Energy,  ExxonMobil, Chevron and Devon Energy all traded down. 
A better-than-expected manufacturing report helped sentiment. Shares of chipmakers like AMD and Nvidia rebounded into positive territory and remained there. The report also showed that prices slipped, a positive development amid high inflation. 

The pan-European Stoxx 600 slipped 0.2% below the flatline, with oil and gas shares losing 1.6% to lead the losses while banks rose 0.9%. 
On the data front, euro zone manufacturing activity contracted in July, S&P Global’s final manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers’ index) revealed on Monday, deepening fears that the bloc could be sliding into recession. 
Source: CNBC, Investing.com