Two Pieces of Good News:
US Manufacturing - A Bright Spot
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2010-08-17/industrial-production-in-u-s-increased-by-1-last-month-double-forecasts.html
American Household Debt Declines
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2010-08-17/household-debt-in-u-s-shrank-last-quarter-as-consumers-cut-back-fed-says.html
Two prominent economists offer their opinions on the US economy:
Narayana Kocherlakota - President of Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis:
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/news_events/pres/kocherlakota_speech_08172010.pdf
Gary Becker - Nobel Prize winning Economist:
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2010/08/the-slowdown-in-the-economic-recovery-becker.html