MANUFACTURING

Businesses decreased their overall orders for factory goods in October for the second straight month, signaling softening manufacturing activities.

U.S. non-manufacturing sector expanded for the 24th consecutive month in November, but at a slightly slower rate, according to a closely watched index released Thursday.

The economy showed signs it was decelerating, with an index of service activity pointing to slower growth in November while new orders for factory goods declined in October for the second straight month.

New orders for factory goods fell in October for the second straight month, suggesting a possible softening in the manufacturing sector, which has supported the economic recovery.

You can't blame investors for feeling a bit hesitant regarding deploying new money in the U.S. stock market these days. Lingering concern about Italy's finances, along with below-trend U.S. GDP growth has created an uncertain U.S./Europe economic outlook. Where's the Dow likely to head in the next six months?

Britain will promote use of new medicines and has earmarked 180 million pounds ($280 million) to bring modern technologies to market under a package of reforms designed to make the country more attractive to big pharmaceuticals companies.

Stock index futures rose on Monday, building on the previous week's strong gains, as optimism grew that the upcoming European Union summit would break new ground to resolve the euro zone debt crisis.

Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC), on Thursday, provided an update on its financial outlook for the December quarter and the progress to date of its recovery effort in Thailand. Barclays Capital raised its price target on shares of Western Digital to $40 from $35, while reiterating its overweight rating.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.8-0.9 percent.

The HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index for China's services sector fell to 52.5 from 54.1 in November, signalling its slowest rate of growth in three months and the latest in a series of data points portraying a quickly cooling economy in need of policy support.

If you don't have the time to scrutinize U.S. and Europe/Asia economic data points daily, but you still want to take the pulse of the U.S. economy, use the price of oil as a shorthand. Oil, the world's most vital commodity, also provides a quick-read on the U.S. economy.

The catalyst for strong equities has been centered on the developments in Europe

Don’t look now but we’re already in the zettabyte era. Next year, market forecaster IDC predicts, the volume of digital content will rise 48 percent, to 2.7 zettabytes.

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in November as the economy added 120,000 jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

When combined with upward revisions to the September (210,000) and October (100,000) job totals, November’s 120,000 job gain, and recent, strong manufacturing and auto sales data, the fundamentals show a U.S. economy that is strengthening. But will Europe's credit markets sap the economy's momentum?

Since discovering that Carrier IQ could potentially track keystrokes on smart phones in the U.S, consumers are asking one question: Is my phone being hacked? The answer, most probably, is yes. Manufacturing companies have denied pre-installing the carrier onto devices, but it turns out network carriers can choose to customize their phones with it and use it as an analytical tool that they claim does not breech user privacy. Do we believe them?

Employment growth picked up speed in November and the jobless rate dropped to a 2-1/2 year low of 8.6 percent, further evidence the economic recovery was gaining momentum.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Mitel Networks, Zumiez, BioMimetic Therapeutics, Zhongpin, PMC-Sierra, and Clearwire. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Viacom, Angie's List, Ebix, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Avago Technologies, and Equinix.

United States International Trade Commission commissioners will vote Friday on weather or not the U.S. solar industry is harmed by the alleged dumping of Chinese solar components. What happens Friday could either break or propel the case forward.

Gold prices slipped modestly Thursday as investors booked profits from this week's 3.3 percent rally in the yellow metal.

European equities fell in choppy trade on Thursday, as a key index failed to break an important resistance level and weak macro economic data prompted profit taking after sharp gains in the previous session.