. >> susie: i'm susie gharib. the unemployment rate falls to its lowest point in almost four years, what that one statistic could mean for investors and the presidential election. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. but with millions of americans still out of work, we visit one company looking to solve that problem. we round out our job retraining coverage with goodwill. >> susie: and tonight's market monitor guest thinks the stock market rally has some life left in it. he's chuck carlson of horizon investment services. >> tom: that and more tonight on nbr! >> susie: more americans are going back to work. the unemployment rate now stands at 7.8 percent. it's the first time in almost 4 years that this key measure of the job market has dropped below 8 percent. american businesses added 114,000 new jobs in september and the readings for july and august were revised higher. so, is the labor picture as good as it seems? erika miller takes a closer look at the data and what it says about the u.s. economy. >> reporter: 3-tenths of a

good evening i'm susie gharib. u.s. stocks are trading again, after hurricane sandy forces an historic two-day shutdown. >> tom: wall street gets back to business, as damage and recovery estimates start to climb, plus, what it takes to restore power to millions in the northeast. >> susie: and with stocks open for trading, no surprise, home depot was the dow's standout. >> tom: lots ahead, that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: an historic day on here on wall street, after the storm of the century knocked down the financial district. us stock markets resumed operations today after two days in the dark, stocks were little changed: both the dow and the nasdaq fell 10 points, but the s&p 500 gained a fraction. trading here at the new york stock exchange opened without a hitch. the new york stock exchange opened right on time. and as new york's mayor bloomberg rang the opening bell this morning, traders were happy to be back to work. it looked like a normal day, with the buzz of activity, traders milling about. it was

captioning sponsored by wpbt >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. questions about earnings and the economy make investors edgy, and that slams stocks on wall street. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. they say big things come in small packages. apple finally unveils its much anticipated ipad mini with a not-so-mini price tag. >> susie: and is a deal in the works to solve the fiscal cliff? a look at president obama's surprise promise in last night's debate. >> tom: that and more tonight on nbr! for the second time in three sessions, u.s. stocks suffered a sharp sell-off. prices fell as weak financial results from corporate america fed fear about the global economy. at the closing bell, the dow shed 243 points, the nasdaq lost 26.5, the s&p dropped almost 21 points, sending markets to levels not seen since early september. the heavy selling came after several household names reported weak quarterly financial reports and lowered their expectations for the rest of the year. 3-m, dupont, and xerox were among those releasing disappointing results. erika miller repor

captioning sponsored by wpbt >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom's off tonight. alcoa's earnings beat analyst estimates. we'll have more in our exclusive interview with c.e.o. klaus kleinfeld. stocks tumble on the five-year anniversary of the dow and s&p's record highs. what will it take for wall street to make a comeback? and find out what daily-deal sites like living social are doing to lure holiday shoppers as we continue our week-long look at holiday retail. that and more tonight on nbr! better than expected earnings and revenues from alcoa tonight. after the closing bell, the aluminum giant said it earned three cents a share in the third quarter. analysts were expecting break- even results. revenues also topped estimates at $5.8 billion, but that was below last year's level. the company repeated its forecast that aluminum demand will double between now and 2020. alcoa is the first dow component to report earnings, and is considered a bellwether of how the economy is faring. the stock barely budged in the regular session, closing at $9.13 a share, and was up

. >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. american consumers were busy shopping in september and the nation's retailers are hoping they'll keep it up as we head into the holidays. japan's softbank dials up a deal for sprint, buying majority control of the u.s. cell company. and with nearly one-in-three americans working contract or part-time jobs. we kick off a week-long look at how a nation of freelancers is changing our labor force. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! a u-turn on wall street today. stocks rose, rebounding from sell-offs last week. good news about the american consumer put investors in a buying mood. the dow jumped 95 points, the nasdaq rose 20 and the s&p 500 up 11. retail sales rose more than 1% in september, which was better than expected. it follows an even bigger gain in august and its the best back- to-back showing since 2010. erika miller has a closer look at the data and what consumers were loading up on last month. >> reporter: it seems pretty unbelievable. but a single electronic devices appears to

. >> susie: good evening everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom's off tonight. a "widespread improvement" in the housing market, that's what the federal reserve is seeing, and it says that's helping the economy make a comeback. a "set back" for stocks, on investor jitters about the global economy. the major averages are now in negative territory for october. is this a buying opportunity or time to take profits? and toyota, once known for quality, announces yet another major recall. does this make toyota less popular with consumers? that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! the nation's housing market appears to be building a new foundation. that's according to the latest snapshot of the u.s. economy released today by the federal reserve. the so-called "beige book" compiles data from 12 fed districts, and it shows residential real estate improved in "all" districts in september. anecdotes from business contacts and economists noted existing home sales strengthened, while prices rose or stayed stable. suzanne pratt takes a closer look at whether the broader economy is al

captioning sponsored by wpbt >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom's off tonight. joe biden and paul ryan are in danville, kentucky, for tonight's vice-presidential debate. we look at what to expect in this high stakes faceoff. sprint goes from buyer to seller. we'll tell you who's taking an interest in the nation's third largest mobile carrier. and halloween is just around the corner, but retailers already have their eyes on the big prize-- christmas. and this year, playing santa could be just a click away. that and more tonight on nbr! another big debate tonight, this time between joe biden and paul ryan. the vice-presidential candidates will slug it out on the economy, medicare and taxes. they may be number two on the ticket, but these men hope they can make this another crucial turning point in an election that is now almost a dead heat. darren gersh reports. >> reporter: vice-presidential debates are often more entertaining than important, but not this time. joe biden will be trying to beat back the romney bump from the first presidential debate; and paul ryan

. >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. new home construction is going through the roof, as americans are house-hunting again. more evidence today that housing is getting back to normal. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. energy prices and supplies were hot topics in last night's presidential debate, we look at where they're headed next. and how contract workers are changing the field of public relations, as we continue our look at america's freelance nation. that and more tonight on "n.b.r." >> susie: we begin tonight with more signs of the rebound in housing. the number of builders breaking ground on new homes in september rose to the highest level in four years. housing starts surged 15% from august to september. but things are booming when you compare building activity to last september: up a healthy 35%. >> reporter: when housing recovers, so will the economy. that was the mantra during the financial crisis. and finally, it looks like the recovery is here, as construction workers are busy across most of the country. in september,

. >> susie: i'm susie gharib. four years after the credit crunch and j.p. morgan is hit with a fraud lawsuit over behavior in its bear stearn's unit. the man behind the lawsuit, new york attorney general eric schneiderman, joins us. >> tom: and why some american manufacturers think an economic slowdown could be on the way. >> susie: that and more tonight on nbr! it's only october, but at stores around the country, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. the national retail federation is predicting a 4.1% gain in holiday sales. that would not be as good as last year, but still above the ten-year average. but as erika miller explains, there's greater uncertainty than usual in the forecasts. >> reporter: past the halloween decorations, the candy, and costumes, you will find the artificial trees, wreaths, and tinsel. stores like this kmart are displaying christmas merchandise early, hoping for a greater share of holiday spending. >> they are coming in and looking at the trees and getting the thought in their mind that christmas is coming, and start to thin

you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. thanks for watching, everyone.we will see you online at nbr.com, and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbhrg

you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. thanks for watching, everyone.we will see you onle at nbr.com, and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> tom: i'm tom hudson with an nbr news brief. investorsoured on ale tonight-- the stock tumbled as much as 2%, dipping below $600 in extended hours trading after the company did something it normally does not do, report earnings shy of wall street estimates. the lower than expected numbers came just days after all the hoopla over apple's launch of the new ipad mini. apple earned $8.67 a share, eight cents below estimates. still, iphone sales were up 58% from a year ago. ipad sales jumped 26% in the past year. ahead of those apple earnings, walltreet closed higher. the dow rose 26 points, the nasdaq and the s&p both added four. tomorrow, our friday "market monitor" guest says stock valuations remain reasonable. are you totally unprepared? just about all of us have something hangen on our walls, pictures, paintings, art work clocks, all can

. >> susie: good evening everyone, i'm susie gharib. american companies added more workers than expected in september, according to a private payrolls report. we'll talk to one of the economists behind the report. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. tonight is the first presidential debate, and the economy will be front and center. what are the important economic numbers to listen for? >> susie: and metro p.c.s. says "hello" to t-mobile, in a merger that will make t-mobile the fourth largest wireless carrier in the country. >> tom: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: private sector hiring was surprisingly perky in september. that's according to data out just two days before the government's crucial and more complete monthly jobs report. payroll processor a.d.p. said employers added 162,000 jobs last month, stronger than expected. but the pace is slowing, and numbers for july and august were revised lower. still, there are signs the job market is improving, but no where close to replenishing the jobs lost in the great recession. suzanne pra

you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. thanks for watching, everyone.we will see you online at nbr.com, and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >>> the following kqed production was produced in high definition. >> and their buns are something i had yet to find anywhere else.

you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. thanks for watching, everyone.we will see you online at nbr.com, and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >>> the following kqed production was produced in high definition. >> and their buns are something i had yet to find anywhere else. >> and you can come to my house to dinner. >> breaded, fried, gooey, lovely. >> in the words of arnold schwarzenegger, i'll be back. >> you've heard of a connoisseur, i'm a common sewer. >> i may have to ward off some

you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. thanks for watching, everyone.we will see you online at nbr.com, and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org maryland public television is proudly supported black public square, t. v. worth watching. >>> we are trying to speak to people who may consider the fact they may have a point of view they may ultimately disagree with it, but they want to hear about it. black s

. >> susie: good evening everyone, i'm susie gharib. american factories were going all out in september, a hopeful sign that the u.s. economy may be picking up. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. ben bernanke defends his strategy at the federal reserve to do more to help the economy. >> susie: and how technology is making it possible for doctors to go paperless. >> tom: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: the first day of the new quarter, kicks off with a blue chip rally. investors were encouraged by a report showing that american factories were busy in september. a popular index of national factory activity rose to 51.5 last month, from 49.6 in august. it was the fastest pace of production since may. but that upbeat news was overshadowed by comments from federal reserve chief ben bernanke, saying the economy is not growing fast enough to bring down the unemployment rate. we'll have more on that in a moment. those two events led to volatile trading here on wall street. the dow rose about 78 points, but was up as much as 155 points earlier