商业报道:美国就业市场惊现好转（在线收听）

A few headlines from the financial world seem to offer a mixed view on how the U.S. economy's doing. First, a new report says U.S. companies cut just over 200,000 jobs in October. Obviously, job cuts: not good news. But this is the seventh month in a row when the number of cuts was lower than the previous month.

However, the number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies went up about nine percent last month. About a third of those were Chapter 13 bankruptcies. That's when the individual is put on a five-year repayment plan.

And finally, the Federal Reserve, the country's central bank, decided not to change a key interest rate which affects things like credit cards and home loans. In the past, the Fed had lowered the rate to try to boost the economy. So, the decision to leave it where it is might indicate things are getting better.