NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mixed in early trading on Wall Street, after a steep drop yesterday. Procter & Gamble, Expedia and LinkedIn all rose after reporting better quarterly earnings than analysts were expecting.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hiring continues to pick up. The Labor Department says employers added 209,000 jobs in July, the sixth straight month of job growth above 200,000. But July’s gain was less than in the previous three months. And the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.2 percent from 6.1 percent as more Americans started looking for work.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending has fallen by the largest amount in more than three years. The Commerce Department says it dropped 1.8 percent in June. The weakness was widespread, with declines in housing, non-residential construction and government spending.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer spending rose in June at the fastest pace in three months. The Commerce Department says it was up four-tenths of a percent, following slower increases in April and May. Americans also saw earnings rise four-tenths of a percent in June, matching the May increase. Income growth has lagged in this recovery but has shown recent signs of some acceleration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A trade group says manufacturing expanded in July for the 14th straight month. The Institute for Supply Management says its manufacturing index rose to 57.1, up from 55.3 in June. Anything above 50 signals that manufacturing is growing. New orders, production and employment at factories rose. Exports declined.

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