Southern California manufacturing outshines U.S. weak spots, reports show

Manufacturing continues to show weakness across the country, but there is little to suggest a slowdown is affecting Southern California, according to national, statewide and regional studies.
The national Purchasing Managers Index, released Friday, Nov. 1 by the Institute for Supply Management, was 48.3 in October, up slightly from 47.8 in September. It was the third consecutive month this index has been below 50, which suggests the factory sector is contracting.
A separate index for October, re