The upbeat news from abroad helped lift U.S. stocks as investors shook off the Empire State Index, a gauge of manufacturing in New York that came in at negative 7.7, indicating worsening conditions and a shakier outlook.

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Even if the government kept its mitts off, the central bank would still have no reliable gauge to tell it if it's printing the right amount of dinars.

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Henceforth someone trying to build an engine could pluck a standard 8-gauge, 32-threads-per-inch machine screw off the shelf.

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Traders largely brushed off the day's other economic report, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly confidence gauge, which remained stuck at an 18-month low in September.

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Because their accounting is off-the-books and the ownership of these businesses is notoriously opaque, it is difficult to gauge their value.

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