A new report on manufacturing gave the market reason to feel a little bit better about the U.S. economy. Manufacturing was still down in August for the 13th straight month. But both production and new orders moved higher. Meanwhile, a big merger in the troubled computer industry made news.  Hewlett-Packard is buying Compaq for more than $20 billion in stock.The deal is expected to be completed by the first half of next year.








一则关于制造业的新闻给了市场理由感觉美国的经济状况好了一点。制造业在八月仍然低靡，这已经是连续的第13个月了。但是其产量和订单却都有所提高。同时，一场发生在处在困难中的电脑产业的并购也带来了好消息。 这次交易预计将在下一年的上半年完成。