YAHOO [BRIEFING.COM]: Stocks spent the session chopping along in a relatively narrow trading range. The lack of direction left the major indices to finish the session in mixed fashion.

The May Existing Home Sales report was the day's headlining news item, though it failed to produce a sustainable move in stock prices. Annualized existing home sales for May hit 4.77 million units, which is the highest rate since October, and up 2.4% from the previous month. However, expectations were set on a 3.0% month-over-month increase.

Trading was choppy both before and after the report's release.

Financial stocks finished 1.7% higher amid optimistic comments from widely followed analyst Richard Bove, who agreed that buying Citigroup (C 3.01, +0.01) now would be like buying it in the 1990s. Shares of Citigroup saw some of the most trading volume in the broader market.

Trading volume in the broader market was rather paltry as just 1.2 billion shares traded hands on the NYSE.

Still, participants showed considerable interest in materials stocks (+1.7%), thanks to an uptick in commodities prices amid a weaker dollar. With the Dollar Index losing 1.3%, the CRB Commodity Index rebounded 1.5% after dropping 2.7% in the previous session.

Gains were perhaps most impressive in crude oil futures, which finished 2.6% higher at $69.25 per barrel after shaking off an early fit of selling pressure. Thanks to the impressive advance by oil prices, energy stocks saw their gains reach 0.8%.

After trading with relative strength for the last several sessions, health care stocks faltered a bit before finishing unchanged. Still, Boston Scientific (BSX 9.51, +0.27) made an impressive move higher after issuing positive results from a defibrillator test.

Airline stocks fell 1.5%. Boeing (BA 43.87, -3.03) pushed back the first flight date of its long anticipated 787 Dreamliner. Just last week Boeing affirmed it would hold the plane's first flight by the end of the second quarter.

News flow will pick up tomorrow morning with the release of durable goods orders for May and May new home sales data. In the afternoon, the FOMC will release its latest policy statement, which is expected to keep interest rates unchanged, but close attention will be paid to whether the Fed will be using any new policy tools in its effort to right the U.S. economy.DJ30 -16.10 NASDAQ -1.27 NQ100 -0.2% R2K -0.6% SP400 -0.4% SP500 +2.06 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1075/2.18 bln/1574 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1418/1.21 bln/1577