Investors are heading down the final stretch this week with some positive economic news. Manufacturing shipments are up in Canada and wholesale prices are on the rise in the U.S. Wall Street futures are up on the news.

Statistics Canada is reporting that higher shipments, rising orders, and the fifth successive decline in inventories were the highlights reported by manufacturers in September.

Ontario rebounded from the impact of the August blackout. Shipments soared 5.2% to $43 billion in September, the highest level since March.

Increases were broadly based in September, as 17 of 21 manufacturing industries, representing 84% of total shipments, reported higher production. Ontario’s rebound (+$1.8 billion) from the blackout led the nine provinces reporting increases in September. Excluding Ontario’s impact, manufacturing shipments still rose a healthy 1.8%.

The U.S. Labor Department is reporting that wholesale prices grew at the fastest pace in seven months in October. There was a surge in prices of food and capital equipment. This is an indication that the risk of deflation is fading. The producer price index for finished goods rose 0.8% in October, accelerating from a 0.3% rate in September. The core index, which excludes food and energy items, rose 0.5%. That, too, marked the fastest rate in seven months.

On the downside, U.S. retail sales fell slightly more than expected in October as demand tumbled for motor vehicles and parts. But the decline was slight, just 0.3% last month, says the Commerce Department.

In Asia, during their Friday trading the Nikkei stock average declined 170.61 points, or 1.65%, to 10,167.06. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slipped 24.04 points, or 0.19%, to 12,203.53.

In Europe at midday, London’s FTSE 100 is up 0.54%. Frankfurt’s DAX has gained 0.4%. Paris’s CAC 40 is up 0.85%.

On Thursday, the Canadian dollar racked up gains for the fourth straight session. Statistics Canada reported that the country’s trade surplus continued to grow in September. Meanwhile American trade deficit is worsening. The dollar moved to US77.04¢.

On stock markets yesterday, Toronto’s S&P/TSX composite index lost 29.71 points to 7,767.62. Profit taking hurt the Dow Jones industrial average. It fell 10.89 points to 9,837.94. The Nasdaq composite index slid 5.76 at 1,967.35, while the S&P 500 index inched up 0.15 to 1,058.41.