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S&P 500 and Dow Have Best Monthly Gains in a Year

CNBC.com | July 30, 2010 | 06:31 PM EDT

US stocks posted their best monthly performance of the year, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a gain of 7.1%. Within the S&P 500 sectors, industrial and material companies rose the most in July. What follows is a summary of this week's statistics on the markets.Historical July PerformanceDow Jones Industrial Average [ .DJIA 12613.08 -18.92 (-0.15%) ]

The Dow had its biggest monthly percent increase and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 8.58%

The Dow had its first monthly gain since April 2010, and finished up for the third consecutive July

The Dow posted its longest July winning streak since 1995

The Dow had the most July winning streaks in 1959 (a total of 11 positive Julys)

Historically and on average July ranks as the second best month out of the year

Since 1896, the Dow has managed gains in July 71 times including the current month

S&P 500 [ .SPX 1326.22 -4.44 (-0.33%) ]

The S&P had its biggest monthly percent increase and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 7.41%

The S&P had its first monthly gain since April 2010, and finished up for the second consecutive July

The S&P posted its longest July winning streak since 2006

The S&P had the most July winning streaks in 1959 (a total of 11 positive Julys)

The S&P had the most July losing streaks in 1986 (a total of 6 negative Julys)

Historically and on average July ranks as the best month out of the year

Since 1928, the S&P has managed gains in July 47 times including the current month

NASDAQ Composite [ COMP 2874.14 -19.62 (-0.68%) ]

The NASDAQ had its biggest monthly percent increase since March 2010 when it rose 7.14%, and best July percent gain since July 2009 when it rose 7.82%

The NASDAQ had its first monthly gain since 4/2010, and finished up for the third consecutive July

The NASDAQ posted its longest July winning streak since 1995

The NASDAQ had the most July winning streaks in 1980 & 1995 (a total of 5 positive Julys each streak)

The NASDAQ had the most July losing streaks in 2002 (a total of 5 negative Julys)

Historically and on average July ranks as the second worst month out of the year

Since 1971, the NASDAQ has managed gains in July 20 times including the current month

S&P 500 SectorsTen out of ten sectors closed the month in positive territory, with material and industrial companies leading the way to the upside.

CF Industries [ CF 160.75

-2.81 (-1.72%) ] was the biggest percent gainer in the material sector, up 28% for the month

Industrial stocks were helped by Expeditors International Washington [ EXPD 37.85

-0.07 (-0.18%) ], up 24% this month

Year-to-date, six sectors are trading in the red, with health care and energy stocks down the most

Commodity Impact: Crude oil for September delivery settled at $78.95 on Friday, up $3.32, or 4.39% for the month. Crude is up for the second month and five of the last six.

Wheat futures were among the best performing commodities this month, up 38%, while gold futures were among the worst, down 5%

Currencies Impact: For the month, the NYBOT US Dollar Index dropped 5%, its worst monthly performance since December 2008, when it fell 6%.Global Index Performance: Note: Data based on preliminary numbers. May adjust slightly due to settling at close.Comments? Suggestions? Send them to bythenumbers@cnbc.comBythenumbers.cnbc.com