US DATA: NY Fed Empire State Mfg Index was virtually.

US DATA: NY Fed Empire State Mfg Index was virtually unchanged at a
reading of -8.48 in Oct vs -8.82 in Sept, below expectations of -3.0.
The reading for new orders rose to a near-flat reading of 0.16, while
the employment index rose to 3.37 from -5.43. The 6-mo outlook fell to
6.74 from 13.04 in Sept, the lowest level since early-2009. The firms
surveyed noted that credit conditions had tightened over the last three
months, but that borrowing costs had declined. About 3/4 of the
respondents said that they had not applied for credit over the last
three months.