Stocks Ended Lower, Posted Modest Monthly Gains

U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Tuesday, as investors turned cautious on the last trading day of the month and ahead of key economic data releases this week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 86.02 points, or 0.48%, to 17,787.20, eked out less than a 0.1% gain for the month. The S&P 500 was down 2.10 points, or 0.10%, to 2,096.95 and gained 1.5% over the month, rising for a third straight month. The Nasdaq Composite was up 14.55 points, or 0.29%, to 4,948.06 and advanced 3.6% over the month.

Staples Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ron Sargent will step down from the job next month, handing the reins to lieutenant Shira Goodman, after his strategy to acquire Office Depot Inc. was blocked earlier this month.

A former Barclays Plc director was accused by the U.S. of giving tips about future mergers and acquisitions to a plumber friend in exchange for cash and a new bathroom, an arrangement that went down the drain when the plumber snitched to the government.

Instagram this morning officially announced the launch of its tools for business users, including new business profiles, analytics and the ability to turn Instagram posts into ads directly from the Instagram app itself.