Stocks are mixed but had best month since July ’09 (AP)

WHAT A MONTH: The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s had their best month since July 2009 and their first winning month since this past April. Strong earnings were behind the big gains.

BUT THE FUTURE’S UNCERTAIN: Trading at the end of July, including Friday’s narrowly mixed finish, showed that investors are cautious because of economic numbers that point to a slowing recovery.

THE NUMBERS: The Dow rose 7.1 percent for July, while the S&P 500 gained 6.9 percent.