Good economic news is scant these days. So it may be a bit unexpected that the U.S. manufacturing sector grew in September—for the second month straight. To be fair though, the numbers, which were released from the Institute for Supply Management, aren't overly impressive: the manufacutring index was 51.6 last month—a single point gain over August. A reading higher than 50 reflects growth.

Earlier this year, when the economy was more stable, the index topped 60 for four months running.

A recent report from Ernst & Young found that the medical device industry was mostly flat in 2010 (the 2011 results will be released about this time next year). The reasons for the lackluster results? High unemployment, growing Medicare enrollment, and the sluggish economy, to cite a few of the biggest challenges.  

—Brian Buntz