Daily Stock Market Activity - NYTimes.com Stocks on Wall Street rose slightly Tuesday after data on the manufacturing sector offered evidence of a continuing economic recovery. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 0.6 percent in morning trading, while the Dow Jones industrial average added 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq composite index gained 0.7 percent. The Institute for Supply Management said its April manufacturing index rose to 54.8 from 53.4 in March. Economists in a Reuters survey expected a reading of 53.0. The S.&P. 500 closed April with its first monthly decline since November as flare-ups in the euro zone highlighted the risks of the region's debt crisis. Many European and Asian stock markets were closed on Tuesday for the May Day holiday. Britain's top share index was up 0.4 percent, led by banks as results from Lloyds offered some reassurance, but energy stocks suffered after BP posted worse-than-expected quarterly results. Pfizer reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings as cost controls offset plunging Lipitor sales as the cholesterol fighter faced generic competition. The shares dipped 0.7 percent. BP's profit dropped on the back of a fall in production prompted by the sale of oil fields to pay for the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Shares listed in the United States fell 2.2 percent. Huntsman jumped 10.1 percent after posting profit that nearly tripled on higher prices for its chemicals. P.F. Chang's China Bistro, the restaurant chain, surged 30 percent after agreed to be bought by a private equity firm.