Markets were mostly lower to end the month as a few major Dow components suffered losses. Most notably was Boeing (BA  ) which lost 2.38% as they had to delay a tanker shipment again. The Dow 30 was down 79 (-0.44%), the S&P 500 was off 2 (-0.09%), and the Nasdaq 100 was slightly higher, up 14 (0.29%%). Tomorrow traders are looking ahead to the Manufacturing PMI numbers along with the Fed's Beige book in the afternoon.

Monsanto (MON  ) was back in headlines Tuesday as the Sunday Times reported that Bayer (BAYRY  ) is ready to sweeten its all-cash offer for Monsanto as soon as this week. Monsanto rejected Bayer's $122 per share offer last week. It is the biggest takeover proposed by a German buyer. This news sent shares up 2.56% today, briefly touching new 2016 highs.

Cliff Natural Resources (CLF  ) soared 39.41% today after JPMorgan upgraded the company to overweight from neutral with a $7 price target. The investment firm said it expects an increase in steel prices to generate higher near-term earnings growth.

Verizon (VZ  ) gets some relief today as unionized workers who have been on strike since April will likely be headed back to work. A tentative deal between Verizon and its unions has been reached. The agreement includes 1,400 new jobs and pay raises topping 10%. Shares were mostly flat on the news (0.55%) as investors wait for confirmation of the deal.

Lastly, Apple (AAPL  ) was one of the worst performers in the Dow 30 today (-0.53%) as a report came out that the tech giant may take longer between major iPhone upgrades from now on. A report by Japan's Nikkei says Apple will now adopt a three-year cycle. This news broke Apples 2 week winning streak.