Economy - Wednesday      (Investor's Business Daily)
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Investor's Business Daily - The JPMorgan global purchasing managers index fell to 51.4 in Dec. from 67 the previous month, as the U.S. factory sector contracted to its lowest level since April '03. While global manufacturing activity fell to near a 41/2-year low, input prices faced by factories rose to a 6-month high. The global input prices index inched up to 67.2 in Dec. The PMI survey collects data from countries such as the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia.
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Investor's Business Daily - That&#39;s a little softer than the prior reading of 4% and estimates for a 3.9% annual rate. But it&#39;s still the best in a year. Net exports were a little weaker than prior estimates said. Still, trade and business investment offset another sharp drop in home building as well as sluggish consumer spending. Most economists expect slower 2nd-half growth as a credit crunch takes its toll on housing and other sectors.
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Investor's Business Daily - Spain has looked good for the last month -- but it&#39;s not the sun that&#39;s powering its shine. It&#39;s the rest of Europe, analysts say.
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Investor's Business Daily - Investors got a friendly package from FedEx Wednesday: big quarterly results and higher forecasts.
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Investor's Business Daily - July&#39;s increase was higher than expected and follows a 0.4% June gain, the Commerce Dept. said. Sales rose 1.1% in the month, more than reversing a 0.3% decline in June. The inventory-to-sales ratio, a gauge of how long existing stocks will last at the current sales pace, fell slightly to 1.26 months from 1.27 months. Retail inventories rose 1%. Motor vehicles and parts climbed 2.9%. Both increases were the largest since May &#39;06.
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Investor's Business Daily - Mutual fund investors reached deeper into their pockets in October to step up buying of stock and bond funds, as the market rallied and the outlook for inflation improved.
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Investor's Business Daily - 1 Big M&amp;A deals kicked off the shortened week as a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland launched a $96 bil bid for Dutch bank ABN Amro  , and Archstone-Smith  , a REIT, agreed to a $22.2 bil buyout by 2 equity groups. RBS&#39; offer for ABN topped Barclays  &#39; earlier $86.6 bil bid, but analysts said ABN&#39;s previous decision to sell LaSalle to Bank of America   clouded the deal.
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Investor's Business Daily - Investor confidence returned to real estate stocks after the Fed&#39;s half-point 18ate cut. The S&amp;P REIT Composite Index shot up 6% the next day.
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Investor's Business Daily - The U.S. economy is slowing as the housing and auto sectors slump, even as the jobs market becomes increasingly tight.
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Investor's Business Daily - While rivals Hewlett-Packard and IBM struggle with change, computer giant Dell showed its consistency Thursday.
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Investor's Business Daily - The Economic Cycle Research Institute&#39;s leading U.S. index edged down to 140.6 in the week ended Sept. 14 after climbing in the prior 2 weeks. The 4-week annualized growth rate ticked up to 0.4% from 0.3%, which was the lowest since last Oct. ECRI says readings would have to fall sharply negative before they&#39;d signal recession.
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Investor's Business Daily - The ABC News/Washington Post Consumer Comfort Index shot up 5 points over the last week to -7, the best in several weeks. Some 39% of respondents said now&#39;s a good time to buy, a big rise from 33% last week. Americans also were more upbeat about the economy and their own finances. Gasoline prices, which have fallen back below $3 a gallon, likely are a big factor.
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Investor's Business Daily - The Business Roundtable&#39;s CEO Economic Outlook Index fell 3 points to 81.9 in May amid high energy prices and the housing slump. But that&#39;s still well-above the boom-bust line of 50. Most executives expect sales, capital spending and hiring to be flat or rise in the coming months. &quot;While the survey does suggest that the economy is settling into a softer consolidation phase, as long as consumers keep spending, the economy can continue to move ahead,&quot; said Harold McGraw, the group&#39;s chairman.
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Investor's Business Daily - Could Russia's hypergrowth in cellular subscribers start slowing?
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Investor's Business Daily - Market News' retail trade index bounced 3.7 points to a still-weak 41.5 in the Oct. 27 week. Readings below 50 signal more chains are reporting slowing conditions. Same-store year-on-year sales growth is very weak at 0.7%, with total sales growth at 4.1%. Income is also weak, with 43% of the sample reporting declines vs. 40% reporting gains. Retailers blamed housing woes.
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Investor's Business Daily - Mutual funds that prospect among the fastest growing companies for winners can yield huge returns in a strong market. But they can also suffer big losses in a bear market.
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Investor's Business Daily - Big-cap stocks flourished and value stocks outperformed again as U.S. stock funds enjoyed modest gains overall in the third quarter. Small- and mid-cap growth funds slipped.