While Washington’s budget talk session ended in a stalemate, Wall Street charged ahead with equities rallying on upbeat economic data. According to the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index reading, the U.S. factory sector expanded at a faster pace last month, exceeding analysts’ exceptions for a slight slowdown. The Thomson-Reuters and University of Michigan’s consumer-sentiment index also rose, showing that U.S. consumers felt better about the economy last month. Meanwhile in Washington, President Obama said that the automatic round of $85 billion in budget cuts would move ahead after no progress was made in talks between the White House and Republicans [see Free Member Report: How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. Global Market Overview: Stocks Shrugg Off Sequester Following several better-than-expected economic reports, all three major U.S. equity indexes managed to close in positive territory today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF logged in a 0.33% gain, as its underlying index rallied to less [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: Daily ETF Roundup: Stocks Close Flat On Euro Zone Worries Daily ETF Roundup: Early Morning Rally Sizzles, Stocks Close In Red Daily ETF Roundup: Housing Data Brings Back The Bulls Daily ETF Roundup: Stocks Rebound Daily ETF Roundup: Stocks End Off Lows, Volatility Spikes