And the steamroller continues

Economists Predict Increase in Jobs - Yahoo! News: "The nation's retailers reported solid sales gains for October, a key gauge of activity in service industries posted a big rebound and productivity advanced at the strongest pace in more than a year, according to reports issued Thursday.

And analysts managed to find a silver lining in reports that were less positive, noting that while storm-related job losses kept rising and are now at 514,000, the increases are slowing. They viewed a bigger-than-expected drop in factory orders for September as a temporary setback rather than an indication of more serious problems in manufacturing.

Many of the nation's big retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp., reported stronger-than-expected sales as the arrival of cold weather boosted demand for winter clothes and falling gasoline prices put shoppers in more of a spending mood. The gains boosted prospects for the holiday shopping season.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management said the service sector of the economy, where most Americans work, grew at a faster pace in October.

The institute's non-manufacturing index rose to 60 last month, significantly higher than September, when the impact of the hurricanes and surging energy costs had helped push the index down to a reading of 53.3."

We're on a roll!
Also, unemployment will remain around 5%, with is nearly 1/3 of that of most eropean countries.