How powerful is the Federal Reserve?
With Bernanke about to take over, time for a reality check

'Black Friday' tepid; Wal-Mart a winner
The official holiday shopping season appears to have gotten off to a lukewarm start, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that monitors retail sales. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was one bright spot in the crowd, reporting its sales exceeded expectations.

Brokerage Firm Hack Endangers Investors
St. Louis-based Scottrade, one of the nation's largest private online stock brokerage houses, has alerted its customers that a hacker break-in may have compromised the security of an untold number of accounts

Scenes From A Bush Thanksgiving
Dubya pouts, Cheney scowls, no one brings pie -- and why is Rove looking at Barb that way?

Quick Overview

• Consumer prices in Germany were down 0.5% in November..
  

• YoY Hong Kong's GDP was up 8.2% in the third quarter.
  

• The European Union will cut its sugar subsidies by 36% and stop paying producers three times the world price. This is expected to be phased in over the next four years. Australia's sugar cane growers will benefit from the European Union agreeing to cut sugar subsidies, an industry spokesman said.
  

Foreign central banks add U.S. debt in week-Fed
Foreign central banks purchased more U.S. debt in the latest week, investing more money in Treasury and government-sponsored agency securities, Federal Reserve data showed on Friday.

Chart of the day

New York Stock Exchange "Volume" Advance Decline Line (Cumulative Daily Volume Breadth)

This chart is generated by subtracting the NYSE Composite "Volume" declines from that days "Volume" advances. The blue line plots the cumulative total.

Quick Overview

• The stock market was supported by a positive reading on the University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment. The index increased to 81.6 this month from 74.2 (a 13 year low) in October vs. 81.0 expected.
  

• The number of U.S. workers filing initial unemployment benefits rose by 30,000 to 335,000 last week, the Labor Department said.
  

• Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose by $1.64 billion to $829.60 billion in the latest week -- the Investment Company Institute said.
  
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that:
  Supplies of crude oil were up 400,000 barrels to 321.8 million.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were up 200,000 barrels
  Supplies of heating oil supplies were up 1.3 million barrels.
  Supplies of natural gas were down 8 billion cubic feet to 3.274 trillion cubic feet. YoY supplies are down 1%.
  

• The USDA said that world sugar production will be 144.2 million tons in 2005-2006, 3.6 million tons less than total use.
  

• Because of a NAFTA deadline, the U.S. has agreed to remove the 16.4% tariff on Canadian lumber, not right away. The U.S. wants to appeal the NAFTA decision as long as it can.
  

• YoY Mexico's trade deficit widened to $631 million in October from $564.
  

• YoY Japan's current account surplus shrank 28.8 percent in October,
  

• Canada's index of composite leading indicators was up 0.5% in October
  

• Brazil's central bank cuts its benchmark interest rate for the third consecutive month, despite higher-than-expected inflation.
  
  

• Gold mining company Placer Dome Inc. on Wednesday said its board is recommending shareholders reject a $9.2 billion takeover bid by Barrick Gold Corp.

Quick Overview

• Ben Bernanke, said Congress should limit the massive holdings of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an effort to limit any danger their debt poses to the overall economy.
  
  

• Holiday sales at U.S. retailers may rise 6% over last year, up from an earlier 5% forecast, according to the National Retail Federation, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday
  
  

• The average U.S. retail price of diesel fuel fell for the fourth straight week, declining 8.9 cents to $2.513 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.
  
  

• The South African Chamber of Mines said that gold production totaled 72.4 tons in the recent quarter, down 15% YOY.
  
  

• The USDA said that as of October 31st, there were 15.52 million pounds of frozen bellies in storage, down 3% from a year ago. Frozen pork totaled 443.9 million pounds, up 5% YoY.
  
  

• The USDA said that there were 1.14 billion pounds of frozen orange juice concentrate in cold storage, down 25% YoY.
  

• The Commerce Department said that retail sales over the Internet totaled $22.3 billion in the recent quarter, up 26.7% YoY. Internet sales now account for 2.3% of total retail sales.

How the Media Can Restore Credibility They should be accessible. "Isolation impairs accountability," says Philip Seib, author of a book on reporting in the cyber era. An Ivory Tower mentality keeps news away. It's easier to track down Dick Cheney in his undisclosed location than to get your local news anchorperson on the phone. Too few newspapers and almost no broadcast outlets make it easy for their readers, listeners and viewers to contact their employees, whether to correct an error or suggest a story idea. Some newspaper websites don't even list their main phone number! Every newspaper by-line should carry its writer's direct phone number and email address, and they should be required to return their messages.

China stocks copper in Shanghai, prepares to cover LME positions
China is believed to have to scramble to meet the LME's requirement to deliver physical copper to approved LME warehouses. The futures contracts Liu traded will fall due on December 21, according to media reports.

China's welfare push to help economic rebalancing

White House used 'gossip' to build case for war

U.S. Press for Reform Prompts Talk of Showdown at the U.N.

Bush Discusses Murtha and Says Progress in Iraq is 'Amazing'

How the Bush administration got spooked

Quick Overview

• The New-York based Conference Board said its index of leading indicators rose 0.9 to 137.9 in October after a downwardly revised 0.8 percent decline in September.
  

• Canada's retail sales were down 0.9%, but up 5.5% YoY.
  

• YoY Indonesia's GDP was up 5.3% in the third quarter.
  

• Mexican retail sales rose 5.2 % in September.
  
  

• The Bank of Japan should move to a policy of raising interest rates soon and should be proactive in communicating to markets how it will go about such a policy shift, a Japanese business lobby said.
  
  
  

• Venezuela and Argentina bolstered ties on Monday with energy and commerce deals after their presidents discussed Venezuela's entry into the South American Mercosur trade pact and alternatives to U.S. proposals for the region.

• Gasoline pump prices continued to drop in the two weeks ended Friday, declining 18 cents to an average $2.27 a gallon for all grades, analyst Trilby Lundberg reported in her latest survey on Sunday.

• General Motors plans to close nine North American plants and cut 30,000 jobs in an effort to trim costs, news services reported Monday

• Rail freight traffic fell for the week of Nov. 12, however intermodal continued to rise compared to the same week last year , the Association of American Railroads reported.

We Must Hold the Scoundrels Accountable
Bush’s public support has plummeted. A majority of Americans believe Bush lied about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction and now they doubt his integrity. Trapped in their lies, Bush and Cheney are lashing out at critics, proving once again the truth of Samuel Johnson’s 18th century observation that "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

Senate committee passes spyware bill
A U.S. Senate committee has approved a bill that would outlaw the practice of remotely installing software that collects a computer users' personal information without consent.

<How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball'
The senior BND officer who supervised Curveball's case said he was aghast when he watched Powell misstate Curveball's claims as a justification for war.

Global shipping: Challenges ahead
As on January 1, 2005, the world trading fleet was made up of 46,222 ships, with a combined 597,709,000 gross tonnes. The vast bulk of the fleet was made up of: general cargo ships (18,150), tankers (11,356), bulk carriers (6,139), passenger ships (5,679) and container ships (3,165). Other ship types accounted for 1,733 vessels.

The World's Best Ethical Travel Destinations

Our most notable and unexpected result is that Latin America emerges as the leader in ethical travel. While certain of our recommended destinations are already popular (Brazil, Costa Rica, and Peru), other top countries (Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Ecuador, and Uruguay) also have much to offer American tourists. Argentina has a vast array of natural wonders: from glaciers in the Andes to pre-Columbian villages in the North. Belize hosts Mayan ruins, as well as a lush rainforest. Uruguay, not as well known, contains spectacular beaches as well as trekking in the interior.

The Federal Reserve announced that as of March 2006, M-3 will no longer be posted.

M(3)urder Will Out!
Thus, the abandonment of M3 could disguise this Reichsbank-like response to America’s hypothetical future ills for some little while thence, delaying market fears of a hyperinflationary outcome, and so keeping "Blackhawk" Bernanke hovering over the scene of the emergency for a little longer than might otherwise be the case.

China copper trade woes send prices to new peaks
Officials for the centre and the bureau have told Reuters that any short positions were made on his own authority, adding to the uncertainty of whether the bureau will honour the obligations. If it refuses to do so, that could leave brokers facing huge losses.

The food you eat may change your genes for life
Szyf says his study shows how important subtle nutrients and supplements can be. "Food has a dramatic effect," he says. "But it can go both ways," he cautions. Methionine, for instance, the supplement he used to make healthy rats stressed, is widely available in capsule form online or in health-food stores - and the molecules are small enough to get into the brain via the bloodstream.

Survey Finds Deep Discontent With American Foreign Policy

Tortured men look like 'Holocaust victims

Pentagon To Probe Feith's Role In Iraq War

Lobbyist Probe Sparks Senate Fireworks

Quick Overview

• The European Central Bank is ready to raise interest rates moderately, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Friday, sending a clear signal it will tighten rates in December for the first time in five years
  

• Argentina's jobless rate fell to 11.1 percent in the third quarter from 13.2 percent in the same period last year.
  

• The British government posted a 2.2 billion pound surplus in October, up from a shortfall of 1.7 billion pounds a year ago. Revenues were up almost 10% YoY, while spending was down 3%.
  

• Canada's wholesale sales totaled C$39.9 billion in September, down 0.1% on the month and up 5.6% YoY
  

• The Bank of Japan said the nation's economy is continuing to recover.
  

• There are rumors the Chinese government may decline to own up to the 200,000 ton copper short position that their absconded trader left it with.
  

• The USDA said there were 11.475 million head of cattle on feed on November 1st, up 1.2% YoY. Placements in October were up 3.5% YoY and marketing’s were down 3.3%.
  

• The United States and the European Union reached a tentative deal on Friday expand aviation service and boost competition on both sides of the Atlantic
  
  

• UPS Inc. said it will raise its commercial ground services rates by 3.9% and its air and international services rates by 5.5% in 2006.
  

China to lose 100 million dollars from copper futures bet
China stands to lose at least 100 million US dollars on the London Metal Exchange after a bet by a state commodities trader went spectacularly wrong, a press report says.

Climate Shift Tied To 150,000 Fatalities

Group Seeks Further Inquiry in Frist's Stock Sales

New Disclosure Could Prolong Inquiry on Leak

Bernanke Gives Fed an Explicit Inflation Target

Quick Overview

• U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said that dividend and capital gains tax cuts put in place by U.S. President George W. Bush have created strong economic growth and should be extended.
  

• St Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole said October inflation data showed the United States was not on an "inflation hair-trigger" and the central bank has room to allow the economy to grow.
  

• U.S. new housing starts fell 5.6% in October, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Through the first ten months of 2005, housing starts are up 5.3%.
  

• The number of U.S. workers filing initial unemployment benefits fell 25,000 to 303,000 last week, the lowest level since April, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
  

• U.S. industrial production rose 0.9% in October as factories rebounded from a decline, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.
  

• Manufacturing growth in the Philadelphia area fell this month from October but still showed expansion, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.
  

• The DoE said that underground supplies of natural gas increased 53 billion cubic feet to 3.282 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are down just 1% YoY.
  

• Platinum futures reached $1,000 for the first time in over 25 years, and then settled lower, while gold continued its run to an 18 year high.
  

• The World Gold Council reported that gold demand was up 16% through the first three quarters of 2005.
  

• The European Commission said that the Euro-zone will grow by 1.3% this year, 1.9% in 2006, and 2.1% in 2007.
  

• Mexican stocks rose to a record high close on Thursday
  

CIA camps row heats up in Europe

Senate Panel Does Not Extend Tax-Rate Cut

Big Oil may face a $5 billion levy

Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force

Has gold lost its war chest status?
Trends indicate that international central bank's store of gold could fall further in future as yields received from the yellow metal decline, but is there another argument for investing in gold?

Ultra-sensitive microscope reveals DNA processes
The novel device allows users to achieve the highest-resolution measurements ever, equivalent to the diameter of a single hydrogen atom, says Steven Block, who designed it with colleagues at Stanford University in California.

Quick Overview

• US Consumer Price Index for October was up 0.2% vs. 0.0% expected and ex food and energy it was, as up an expected at 0.2% . YoY it was up 4.3%. Excluding food and energy prices were up 2.1% YoY.
  
  

• EuroZone CPI for October at 0.3% as expected.
  
  

• The Chinese government reportedly sold 20,000 tons of copper from its state reserves today after one of its traders disappeared while carrying a large copper short position.
  

• U.S. business sales were up 0.6% in September and up 7.8% YoY. Inventories were up 0.5% in September.
  

• The U.S. Treasury Department said foreign buys of US securities exceeded domestic purchase by 102 billion vs. 75 billion expected.
  

• The DoE said that:
  Supplies of crude oil were down 2.2 million barrels last week to 321.4 million barrels.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were down 900,000 barrels
  Supplies of heating oil were up 1.8 million barrels.
  

• Gold futures climbed over $10 an ounce to close at a one-month high, while silver prices finished above $8 an ounce for the first time since December 2004 and platinum futures set records.

• The U.K.'s unemployment rate for Q3 was 4.7%.

French gold sales allows FX reserves diversification Strauss-Kahn declined to say in what currencies the BOF would invest the proceeds of its plans to sell up to 600 t of gold reserves over a five year period - a strategy which it said last year it had agreed with the French finance ministry.

She told the conference that the BOF's gold reserves amounted to 3 024 t, comprising 55% of its total gold and foreign exchange reserves or 3,7% of gross domestic product.

Reserve bank may up gold reserves - Mboweni The central bank is very comfortable holding these gold reserves because of the metal's war-chest qualities, because gold is no-one's liability and because it allows prudent diversification in the bank's total reserves," Mboweni said in the text of the speech.

Brazilian farmers' dreams dry up
The so-called "Drought Polygon" is a nearly 390,000-square-mile area that includes nine northeastern states, practically a third of Brazil. Rain is so infrequent that Brazilians joke that the first sign of drought is news of supermarket looting.
Specialists, who are not joking, say the scant rainfall, deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable farming practices could make this region of 18 million people the world's largest new desert.

The fog of war: white phosphorus, Fallujah and some burning questions
The controversy has raged for 12 months. Ever since last November, when US forces battled to clear Fallujah of insurgents, there have been repeated claims that troops used "unusual" weapons in the assault that all but flattened the Iraqi city.

Quick Overview

• Ben Bernanke, the president's chief economist, told senators Tuesday he'll continue the policies of Alan Greenspan if confirmed as Federal Reserve chairman and will make sure the central bank remains free of political influence.
  
  
• Manufacturing growth in New York state rose in November, according to a monthly survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released on Tuesday.

• The U.S. Commerce Department said that retail sales were down 0.1% in October, stronger than expected. Excluding autos, retail sales were up 0.9% on the month.
  

• The U.S. producer price index rose 0.7% in October, while prices excluding food and energy fell 0.3%, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

• The average U.S. retail price of diesel fuel fell for a third straight week, dropping 9.6 cents to $2.602 a gallon, the Department of Energy.

• A copper trader for a secretive high-level Chinese government agency has disappeared. The position he left behind, rumored to be between 150,000 and 200,000 tons, was taken as a bet that copper would fall just as the industrial metal continued to make new highs.

• The London Bullion Market Association expects gold to reach $550 per ounce by the middle of 2006. They anticipate the driving force to be a weaker US economy and strong demand from India. Because of jewelry demand gold usage was up 10% in the first six month of 05.
  
  

• The Florida Citrus Processors said that there were 96.9 million gallons of frozen concentrated orange juice in inventory, down 29% YoY.
  

• YoY China's industrial output increased 16.1 percent in October to 632 billion yuan (78 billion dollars).
  

• Canada's manufacturing shipments were down 0.5% in September to C$51.6 billion.
  

• YoY Consumer prices in the U.K. increased 2.3% in September.
  

• GDP in the Euro zone was up 0.6% in the third quarter and up 1.5% YoY. For the EU-25, GDP was up 0.6% in the third quarter and up 1.6% YoY.
  

• Retail sales in New Zealand were down 0.8% in September.
  

Quick Overview

• The United States is having little trouble funding its big current account gap, but the shortfall cannot expand forever , Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Monday.
  

• European Central Bank policymakers issued warnings on inflationary dangers in the euro zone on Monday with two central bankers saying the ECB should raise interest rates before prices surge.
  

• The International Sugar Organization expects world consumption to outpace production by one million tons in 2005-2006 and by two million tons in 2006-2007.
  

• YoY Retail sales in the Euro zone were up 0.9% in September.

• Overseas investment in Japanese equities fell for a second month in October, according to a government report yesterday
  

• New motor vehicle sales in Canada were down 7.9% in September and down 0.5% YoY.
  
  

• We are not finding gold as fast as we are mining it as an industry,'' said Glamis Chief Executive Kevin McArthur. "This is developing into a bit of a train wreck,'' prompting companies to consider more acquisitions to boost output, McArthur said.

Gold output to fall to 80-year low
South African gold output was likely to fall to an 80-year low of 300 tons in 2005 down from 346 tons in 2004, which was the lowest level since 1931, Andisa Securities gold analyst Dr Dave Davis said on Monday.

Senate Approves Plan to Limit Detainee Access to Courts The Senate endorsed a plan yesterday that would sharply limit suspected foreign terrorists' access to U.S. courts, an effort to overturn a landmark 2004 Supreme Court ruling that has allowed hundreds of detainees held by the military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to challenge their detentions.




Power Über Alles On Thursday November 10, the Republican-controlled US Senate voted 49 to 42 to overturn the US Supreme Court’s 2004 ruling that permits Guantanamo detainees to challenge their detentions. How dare the US Supreme Court defend the US Constitution and the civil liberties of Americans when we have terrorists to fight, argued the Republican senators. What are civil liberties, the Republicans asked rhetorically, but legal tricks that allow criminals and terrorists to escape.

Housing Market Cooling, Data Say
But since May, the sales prices for the development have fallen -- and units like the one the Edmonds bought are now being sold for $699,900. The Edmonds are facing the prospect of a $100,000 loss in value before they even walk through the front door.

Chart of the day

Quick Overview

• DOW ends up 94 on Thursday after robust demand from overseas investors for U.S. government debt signaled confidence in the economy.
  

• U.S. consumer sentiment rebounded this month from 74.4 to 79.2, according to the University of Michigan's monthly consumer sentiment index released Thursday
  

• U.S. Jobless claims were up 2,000 last week to 326,000.
  

• The U.S. trade shortfall grew to a record $66.1 billion in September, as crude oil prices surged and exports dropped by the most in four years. U.S. exports were down 2.6% to $105.2 billion while imports increased 2.4% to $171.3 billion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday
  

• The USDA's 2005-2006 U.S. ending stocks estimate for:
  Corn increased from 2.220 to 2.319 billion bushels.
  Soybeans increased from 260 to 350 million bushels.
  Wheat remained at 530 million bushels.
  Sugar was lowered from 1.089 million to 667,000 short tons.
  Cotton increased from 6.40 to 6.50 million bales.
  

• Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose by $805.4 million in the latest week to $827.95 billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground supplies of natural gas were up 61 billion cubic feet at 3.229 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are now down 3% from a year ago.
  

• Canada's exports were up 2.8% in September to C$39.8 billion, a new record high. Imports were up 1.4% at C$32.7 billion, also a record high.
  

• Mexico’s Annualized inflation dropped to 3.05 percent at the end of October, its lowest rate since records began and just a shade higher than the midrange of the central bank's 2-4 percent 2005 target.
  
  

• France's GDP was up 0.7% in the third quarter and up 1.7% YoY stronger than expected.
  

• Australia's unemployment rate increased from 5.1% to 5.2% in October, the highest in seven months.
  

• The unemployment rate in New Zealand dropped from 3.6% to 3.4% in the third quarter, a record low.
  

• Japan's machinery orders were up 2.1% in the third quarter to 3.1 trillion yen, stronger than expected and the most in over four years.
  

Quick Overview

• The U.S. current account deficit is not sustainable but an adjustment need not be disorderly, provided the government and central bank deliver good policies, a top Federal Reserve policy-maker said on Wednesday.
  
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that:
  Supplies of crude oil were up 4.5 million barrels to 323.6 million barrels -- 700,000 barrels came from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were up 4.2 million barrels
  Supplies of Heating oil were down 1.5 million barrels
  

• The Mortgage Bankers Association said its mortgage application index was up 2.3% last week to 661.3
  

• In the U.K. consumer confidence fell to the lowest in at least 18 months in October as economic growth faltered and unemployment rose, the Nationwide Building Society survey showed.
  

• The Conference Board said the index of leading indicators for Japan increased 0.4% in September to 99.7.

• China is speeding up plans to allow local institutions to invest overseas, a move that could begin to release a portion of the billions of dollars of foreign currency now sitting in low-return Chinese bank deposits.
  

• Industrial production in Brazil fell more than expected in September from August, suggesting that high interest rates took a toll on Latin America's largest economy in the third quarter.

Courtesy of www.pfscan.com we have added the S&P500 Bullish Percentage Chart
here

US National Debt by Presidential Term, 1976-2004

Quick Overview

• Toll Brothers Inc., the largest U.S. builder of luxury homes, reduced next year's sales forecast, saying the housing market is weakening after a five-year boom.
  

• Mexican gross fixed investment, a measure of spending on machinery, equipment and construction, soared in August as optimistic businessmen imported more tools than expected to churn out goods.
  

• The confidence of U.S. consumers rose in the latest week, buoyed by lower gasoline prices, ABC News and the Washington Post said on Tuesday.
  

• The U.S. and China agreed to trade limits on a range of clothing items for three years.
  

• Brazil's agricultural exports totaled $36.2 billion in the first ten months of 2005, a new record high, helped by sales of soybeans, ethanol, coffee, sugar, and orange juice.
  

• The British Retail Consortium said that retail sales in the U.K. were down 0.2% in the August to October quarter from a year ago.

• The national average retail diesel fuel price continued to fall, dropping 17.8 cents to $2.698 a gallon, the Energy Department said.

Quick Overview

• Global energy needs will surge 50% by 2030 and prices will rise if capacity is not significantly increased, according to a report issued Monday by the International Energy Agency, the Associated Press reported.
  
  

• U.S. regular gasoline pump prices dropped 23 cents in the past two weeks to an average of $2.45 a gallon for three grades, analyst Trilby Lundberg reported in her latest survey.
  
  

• A Federal Reserve survey said that one-fourth of U.S. banks reported a decline in mortgage loan demand over the past few months.
  

• YoY Japan's household spending was up 1.0% in September, the first increase in six months.
  

• Factory production in the U.K. was down 0.3% in September.
  

Chart of the day

Four Week Average of Public Short Sales divided by Total Short Sales

Fuel's paradise? Power source that turns physics on its head
It seems too good to be true: a new source of near-limitless power that costs virtually nothing, uses tiny amounts of water as its fuel and produces next to no waste. If that does not sound radical enough, how about this: the principle behind the source turns modern physics on its head.

Quick Overview

• With just three months left before he leaves office, Alan Greenspan raised a warning to Congress: The country could face "serious economic disruptions" if bloated budget deficits are not curbed.
  
  

• U.S. payrolls rose by 56,000 jobs in October and the nation’s unemployment rate fell to 5% from 5.1%, the Labor Department said Friday.
  
  

• Rail freight traffic fell for the week ended Oct. 29 but intermodal volume levels continued to climb, reaching the sixth-highest weekly volume ever, the Association of American Railroads reported.
  

• The Euro zone unemployment rate improved from 8.5% to 8.4% in September.
  

• Factory orders in Germany were up 2.8% in September, better than expected.
  

• Brazilian motor vehicle sales fell 4.6 percent and production fell 7.9 percent in October from September, reinforcing expectations that industrial output and the economy may shrink in Latin America's largest country in the third quarter.
  

• Canada's unemployment rate improved from 6.7% to 6.6% in October, the lowest in three decades.
  

• Berkshire Hathaway Inc. , the investment company run by billionaire Warren Buffett, on Friday said quarterly profit fell 48 percent to the lowest level in nearly four years, hurt by nearly $3 billion of losses from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  

Quick Overview

• Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress Thursday that economic fallout from the recent spate of devastating hurricanes should prove fleeting and the economy remains sturdy.
  
  

• Nonfarm business productivity grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.1% from July through September, the Labor Department said Thursday. It grew 2.1% in the second quarter and 3.2% during the first three months of the year.
  
  

• Unit labor costs, which the Federal Reserve watches as an indicator of inflation risks, fell 0.5%, after swelling 1.8% in the second quarter and 2.2%.
  
  

• The National Association of Realtors said its pending home sales index fell by 0.3% to 128.8 from August's 129.2. The level was 3.3% higher than September 2004.
  
  
  

• The number of U.S. workers filing initial unemployment benefits fell to a two-month low, because of fewer hurricane-related filings, the Labor Department said. Initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 8,000 to 323,000 in the week that ended Oct. 29. The four-week moving average fell by 17,000 to 350,500.
  
  
  

• The Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index, made up mostly of service-related companies, rose to 60.0 in October from a reading of 53.3 in September. Readings above 50 suggest expansion.
  
  

• The European Central Bank kept its interest rate unchanged at 2.00%.
  

• Retail sales in Australia were down 0.3% in August, weaker than expected.
  
  
  

• South Africa's gross domestic product was under-estimated between 10 and 20% as the economy had already been growing at more than 6 percent YoY for several quarters, T- Sec economist Mike Schussler said.
  
  

• Brazil's 2005-2006 soybean output is likely to reach 56.7 to-58.6 million tons, the Agriculture Ministry forecasting agency said in the first official estimates for next year's crop. Farmers may cut the area planted with soy by as much as 8 percent to 21.5 million hectares. Brazil harvested 51.1 million metric tons this year.
  
  

• The U.S. DoE said that natural gas supplies were up 29 billion cubic feet to 3.168 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are down 4% YoY.