Stocks are falling in early trading as investors take a cautious approach to trading ahead of the government's latest report on the jobs market.

A report Monday that showed personal spending crept higher last month had little affect on trading, even though shoppers returning to stores would help the economy.

Investors are cautious because they are more concerned with the Labor Department's monthly employment report due out at the end of the week. The jobs report is considered the most important economic data of the month, and analysts expect spending growth will remain sluggish as new jobs remain scarce.

The Dow Jones industrial average is down 24, or 0.2 percent, at 10,126. The S&P 500 is down 3, or 0.2 percent, at 1,062, while the Nasdaq composite is down 7, or 0.3 percent, at 2,146.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stock futures traded in a narrow range Monday as investors were cautious entering a week that provides the latest report on the jobs market.

A separate report that showed consumer spending crept higher last month had little affect on trading, even though its widely believed that shoppers returning to stores would help the economy. Investors are cautious Monday because they are more concerned with the Labor Department's monthly employment report due out at the end of the week. The jobs report is considered the most important economic data of the month, and analysts expect spending growth will remain sluggish as new jobs remain scarce.

Employment data has become vital for traders recently because jobs growth is considered the best way the recovery can get back on track and grow consistently. Signs of a slowdown in growth has plagued the market for more than a month. Investors are unsure if companies will be able to keep up strong earnings growth if the recovery runs out of steam or falls back into recession.

Waning confidence in the economy and about employment have kept shoppers out of stores, which further adds to a slowdown in the recovery.

The Commerce Department said personal spending rose 0.4 percent in July, the biggest jump in four months. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast spending would rise 0.3 percent.

Personal income rose 0.2 percent, just below the 0.3 percent growth rate economists expected.

Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 7, or 0.1 percent, to 10,134. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 0.20, or less than 0.1 percent, to 1,063.90, while Nasdaq 100 index futures fell 0.75, or less than 0.1 percent, to 1,788.50.

The Labor Department's monthly employment report doesn't come until Friday though, so investors will look for signs earlier in the week for clues about the jobs market. The Institute for Supply Management releases its monthly manufacturing survey Wednesday, which has an employment component to it. Payroll company ADP also releases its data on private jobs growth Wednesday.

The ADP report is often used as a gauge ahead of the Labor Department's monthly report later in the week. The government's report also includes public sector jobs growth, making it a broader measure of the health of the employment market.

The Labor Department releases its weekly report on unemployment claims Thursday. New claims fell last week, but remain at elevated levels. That indicate employers are not adding new workers, even if they aren't firing too many employees either.

Meanwhile, bond prices rose Monday, sending interest rates lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 2.60 percent from 2.65 percent late Friday. Its yield is often used to set interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans.

Overseas, Germany's DAX index fell 0.2 percent and France's CAC-40 fell 0.3 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.8 percent.