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On a positive note, on Monday the ISM's employment index for the manufacturing sector rose, suggesting factories added jobs last month. But manufacturing accounts for only about 10 percent of U.S. employment, and can't boost hiring by much on its own. The overall economy barely grew in the first half of the year. Many economists fear it could fall back into recession. Several analysts have put the risk of a recession as high as 40 percent. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the economic recovery "is close to faltering." Bernanke said that the economy is growing more slowly than the Federal Reserve had expected and that the biggest factor depressing consumer confidence is poor job growth. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits dropped by 52,000 to 3.7 million two weeks ago, the latest data available. More than 3 million people are also receiving extended benefits under an emergency program put in place by Congress during the recession. All told, 6.9 million people received benefits in the week ended Sept. 17, the department said.
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