By Claudia Assis
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- News that U.S. manufacturing activity slowed in May hit gold and crude-oil futures, sending them lower on Wednesday. Crude for July delivery CLN11 -0.64% declined 81 cents, or 0.8%, to $101.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold for August delivery GCQ11 +0.03% declined $1.50, or 0.1%, to $1,535.30 an ounce on Nymex's Comex division. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing activity index fell to 53.5 last month from 60.4 in April. A reading over 50 indicates expansion. Economists had expected the index to fall to 57.1.
