A number of headlines are greeting U.S. market participants as they return from the extended Labor Day weekend.

A number of headlines are greeting U.S. market participants as they return from the extended Labor Day weekend. On Monday, global markets got a boost  from economic reports out of Asia and Europe as China’s official purchasing managers index pushed further into expansion territory and Eurozone GDP showed the region growing for the first time in almost two years. The manufacturing sector of the world’s #2 economy nudged up from 50.3 in July to a reading of 51 in August while Eurozone GDP grew .3% in 2Q 2013 led by Germany (up .7%) and France (up .5%). On the domestic front, there has yet to be any U.S. military action in Syria as the Obama Administration looks to congress for approval. Gold was losing support from the potential of imminent conflict in the middle east and reached as low as $1373.6 before reports of Israeli missile tests spooked the gold bugs and pushed the yellow metal back toward $1400. Gold now trades $1399. Tension in South Africa is coming to a head as wage negotiation, between the National Union of Mineworkers and gold mining companies, don’t seem to be getting anywhere. A strike by NUM members in the gold sector is set to begin today. U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI will be released at 10:00 am. Have a great day!