While you were sleeping: US manufacturing lifts mood

While you were sleeping: US manufacturing lifts mood
Margreet Dietz
By Margreet Dietz Oct. 3 (BusinessDesk) - US stocks and the dollar gained, with the Dow and S&P 500 climbing to records, as reports of better-than-expected manufacturing activity bolstered optimism about the outlook for the economy and corporate profits.  “You’ve seen a pretty healthy first half of the year with earnings, when we (are) headed into Q3, there is a sense of optimism that you can see upfront,” Nadia Lovell, US Equity Strategist, JP Morgan Private Bank, told Reuters. Third-quarter earnings are expected to increase 6.2 perce...