The markets closed out the last trading day of the month with a loss. Still, April overall is the first positive month since January. Earlier in the day the markets were positive but spent the rest of the day giving back those gains. The Dow 30 was lower by 144, the S&P 500 added 21, and the Nasdaq 100 closed higher by 53. Good earnings along with positive economic numbers helped push the markets higher. Earnings season is not over yet. This week includes earnings from 100 S&P 500 names, including Apple (AAPL  )

T-Mobile (TMUS  ) and Sprint (S  ) both dominated headlines on the final day of trading for the month: T-Mobile announced it had agreed to buy Sprint in a $26.5 billion deal that they hope will close by next summer. The pair feel that Washington's hands-off approach to business since Trump took office makes this the perfect time to try to put the deal together. Investors were skeptical, though, as shares of TMUS were lower by 6.22%, while Sprint sold off 13.77%.

McDonalds (MCD  ) shares led the way in the Dow today as the company reported better-than-expected earnings. Shares boosted by 5.75% as global and domestic sales came in higher. Remember that the company is in the midst of a turnaround plan, which includes more technology in stores, a more welcoming environment for customers, and premium menu items made with higher quality, more expensive ingredients. Technical traders noted the break above short-term resistance which likely helped support the intraday strength.

Walmart (WMT  ) shares were higher by 1.33% today, as it works out a deal to offer a majority stake of its British grocer, Asda. The deal claims Asda is worth about $10 billion and, if approved, Walmart would have a 42% minority stake in the merged company, which would make it the grocery leader in the UK.