Preços dos medicamentos vão "inevitavelmente" subir, avisam as farmacêuticas

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10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 U.S. SEPT. ISM INDEX 52.9% VS. 53.7% EXPECTED

U.S. Sept. ISM manufacturing index 52.9% vs 54.5% in Aug.
By Greg Robb Last Update: 10:06 AM ET Oct 2, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Factory activity in the United States decelerated in September, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday.

The ISM index fell to 52.9% in September from 54.5% in August. This is the lowest level since May 2005.

The decline was sharper than expected. The consensus forecast of estimates collected by Marketwatch was for the index to fall to 53.7. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

New orders fell to 52.9% in September from 54.5% in August.

The employment index dropped to 49.4% from 54.0%.

The price index dropped sharply to 61.0% from 73.0%. This is the lowest level since July 2005.


10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 U.S. AUGUST CONSTRUCTION SPENDING RISES 0.3%
10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 U.S. AUGUST FEDERAL CONSTRUCTION SPENDING DOWN 4.3%
10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 AUGUST PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION SPENDING DOWN 1.5%

ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. August construction spending up 0.3%; U.S. August construction spending rises 0.3%
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:10 AM ET Oct 2, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Spending on U.S. construction projects unexpectedly rose by 0.3% in August despite a 1.5% drop in outlays on private residential building projects, the Commerce Department said Monday.

Economists had predicted construction spending would fall by a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.1% in August.

A 3.4% increase in private nonresidential construction spending fueled the overall gain, Commerce Department data show.

Spending on manufacturing facilities, power plants, commercial buildings and office projects posted big gains in August, pushing private nonresidential construction spending to an all-time high.

Private residential construction spending, meanwhile, posted its fifth consecutive monthly drop, falling by 1.5%. The last time spending on homes rose was in March.

It's another sign of the ongoing housing market slowdown.
Construction spending in July was revised to fall by a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.0%.
Private construction rose by 0.1% in August, the Commerce Department said.
Public construction rose by 1.1%.
State and local construction climbed by 1.4% in August.
Federal construction fell by 4.3%, the government said.


10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 U.S. PENDING HOME SALES DOWN 14.1% YEAR-ON-YEAR
10:00 AM ET 10/2/06 U.S. AUG. PENDING HOME SALES RISE 4.3%

ECONOMIC REPORT: Pending home sales rise 4.3% in August; Market may be stabilizing, realtors group says
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 10:01 AM ET Oct 2, 2006

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Pending sales of U.S. existing homes rose by 4.3% in August, indicating the housing market may be stabilizing, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

Pending-home sales are down 14.1% in the past year, the real estate industry group said.

"Our sense is that home sales may have reached a low in August," said David Lereah, chief economist for the NAR in a statement.

"With fewer new listings coming on the market, we should be able to draw down the inventory supply early next year to the point where home prices will rise, but at a slower pace than historic norms," Lereah said.

The pending-sales index rose 9.2% in the West, 4% in the South and 3.6% in the Northeast. The index was flat in the Midwest.

Sales are recorded as "pending" when a sales contract is signed; they are recorded as "sold" when the sale closes, usually one or two months later.

Existing-home sales fell 0.5% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.30 million, the lowest since January 2004. Meanwhile, median sales prices fell 1.7% on a year-on-year basis, the first decline in 11 years. The inventory of unsold homes rose to a 7.5-month supply, the most in 13 years.