Stocks finished lower on Monday, as investors remain cautious ahead of corporate profit reports and key U.S. employment data due later in the week. With a report showing continued slowdown in manufacturing and data showing a small pickup in the housing market, economic uncertainty continued to affect the market. Investors are awaiting the government's monthly job report, due Friday. In economic news, a report from the Commerce Department showed that factory orders fell 0.5 percent in August, raising fears about a slowdown in U.S. manufacturing growth. Economists expected order to decrease by 0.4 percent. The National Association of Realtors said pending homes sales rose 4.3 percent in August. Economists expected the report to show a 1 percent increase in home sales. --MORE
