NEW YORK (Reuters) – Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell for a third straight month in October to a 19-month low, feeding hopes the labor market will continue to improve as economic activity rebounds.

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Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in October for the third
consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the sixth consecutive month,
say the nation`s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On
Business®. 

The report was issued today by Norbert J. Ore, CPSM, C.P.M., chair of the
Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The
manufacturing sector grew for the third consecutive month in October, and...

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From Reuters news service:

Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator Rebounds; Rises to 36.9, Highest Level
Since August 2008
Media optimism on economy again runs counter to consumer sentiment; Stock
market gains, GDP growth lead positive economic coverage

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator
(ESI) rose to 36.9 in October, up from 34.1 in September as a result of
positive media coverage of ongoing stock market gains and news that the gross
domestic product rose at an annual rate of

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From the City Wire, Arkansas

Submitted by The City Wire staff on Mon, 11/02/2009 – 3:44pm.

Arkansas’ economy saw “weak” signs of improvement and there were better signs of growth from a closely watched national manufacturing report.

Overall, both reports provide reasons for economic hope for a Fort Smith region still dominated by durable goods manufacturing.

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By Karen Pierog and Glenn Somerville

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The U.S. economy’s return to growth during the third quarter shows stability has been regained but recovery is fragile and needs nurturing, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday.

The government estimated that gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent from July through September. Still, Geithner said the government must be ready to reinforce growth if needed to avoid risks of a credit crunch.

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From the Los Angeles Times:

Some perspective on the details inside today’s government report on third-quarter gross domestic product, which showed that the economy grew at a 3.5% real annualized rate in the three months ended Sept. 30 — the first advance since the second quarter of 2008:

–Bernard Baumohl, economist, Economic Outlook Group: Fueling this latest spurt in growth was consumer spending, which jumped at a 3.4% pace, the biggest increase since the first quarter of 2007. Much of the surge in spending should be attributed to the “cash for clunkers” program and the $8,000 tax credit to first time homebuyers. But looking ahead, we believe that other non-governmental factors will help boost economic growth. First, this positive

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By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy grew in the third quarter for the first time in a year, beating market expectations, as consumer spending and new home-building rebounded, signaling the end of the worst recession in 70 years.

The Commerce Department, in its first estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product on Thursday, said the economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate, the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2007, after contracting 0.7 percent in the April-June period.

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From a global survey by the Nielsen Company…

By Susan Fenton

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Global consumer confidence is rebounding, and in the United States has risen for the first time since 2007, amid signs the world economy is picking up although spending is still restrained, a survey showed on Wednesday.

Confidence was highest in India, followed by Indonesia and Norway, and was weakest in Japan, Latvia, Portugal and South Korea, although in Korea it had improved markedly, according to a quarterly survey by The Nielsen Company, conducted between September 28 and October 16.

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Thanks to Rich from Virginia for this link…

By Jon D. Markman
Contributing Writer
Money Morning

We haven’t looked at the new high list for some time, so I took a quick look to see what’s cooking.

There were quite a few American Depository Receipts (ADRs) for Israel-based companies on the list last week, as well as a lot of U.S. retailers and apparel wholesalers. J Crew Group Inc. (NYSE: JCG) surged to a big new one-year high on Thursday, up 15%, as did shoemaker Skechers USA Inc. (NYSE: SKX), up 14%; and Brown Shoe Co.  Inc. (NYSE: BWS), up 3% to a new high. Another new high, with an 18% gain, was recorded by HNI Corp. (NYSE: HNI), which makes office furniture. And of course you know about Amazon.com Inc. (NYSE: AMZN).

What happened to the missing-in-action consumer that the bears have complained about? Makes you wonder.

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By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent

TOKYO (Reuters) – Honda Motor (7267.T) surprised investors with a near tripling of its annual profit forecasts, bumping it further ahead of Japanese rivals thanks to a dominant motorcycle business and line-up heavy in small cars.

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