Economic Journamalism

First we have economist Dean Baker makes the observation that the gross number is driven largely by utilities, and consumption of utilities is driven by weather, which is what typically happens in November relative to October.

Then he notes that frequently when a month is revised downward, it makes the next month looks better, which is what did happen this October.

But still we get stories like this headline, "Manufacturing Still Dismal, But Not as Bad as Feared."