U.S. stocks were mixed in the early half of the session, as investors wait for economic reports including the Leading Economic Indicators in November and an important regional manufacturing gauge due out later today.

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The Purchasing Managers Index, used to gauge manufacturing and economic health on point scale, shows that 2012 will not be a strong year.

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Manufacturing firms that gauge their success and failure on short-term sales numbers are actually reporting on their capacity to leverage research, technology, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and other functions over time in the context of the current economy.

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The euro zone's purchasing-managers index, a gauge of manufacturing activity, fell in November to a level consistent with a 1% quarterly drop in gross domestic product, according to research firm Capital Economics.

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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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The Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity, a forward-looking gauge of the strength of the U.S. manufacturing sector, came in at 53.7 on June 5, a level consistent with economic expansion.

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Stocks benefited from better-than-expected economic data in China, a strong reading on German economic sentiment and an improvement in a gauge of New York manufacturing activity.

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Right now the tool is geared toward assessing the sustainability of existing products, but plans are in the works to roll out a tool that could be integrated into design and manufacturing processes early on to help gauge the potential impacts of various decisions and enable companies to design more sustainable products.

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Separately, a rise in new orders boosted the Chicago Business Barometer, a gauge of the U.S. manufacturing sector, to its highest level since March 2012, also trumping expectations.

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Indonesia's manufacturing also expanded in February, with HSBC's gauge at 50.5 from 49.7 in January.

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