Only a surprise report could shake stalling market

Lacklustre: Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the start of the trading day on Thursday. The market may trade directionless again this week unless payrolls report is a surprise. – EPA

NEW YORK: Unless this week’s payrolls report is an outlier, investors should expect a continuation of the directionless market that has kept the S&P 500 trading in place for most of the year.

Should July post strong job gains, it would point to an economy strong enough for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.