Stocks were mixed and mostly unchanged on the first day of August. The Dow posted a slight gain bolstered by a strong earnings report by Caterpillar. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 both finished slightly in the red.

Manufacturing is the latest sector to send the market conflicting signals. Factory orders look to be gradually improving, but factory employment hit a three-year low. Investors will be watching to see if that weakness will extend throughout other sectors when the jobs report comes out on Friday.

Overall, however, the bulls remain in control as we enter into what is typically one of the quieter months of the year. That could change quickly when Apple reports after the market closes on Thursday. The S&P 500 has been flirting with 4,600 for about a month and positive results from the tech giant could send the index to new highs.