41.   Statistics Canada attributed GDP growth to stronger manufacturing output and retail and wholesale sales in April.

42.   Stocks were weighed down by a report from the Confederation of British Industry showing a decline in manufacturing output growth and a squeeze on company profit margins.

43.   Stocks rallied in midmorning trading after a report by the Philadelphia Reserve Bank showed unexpectedly weak manufacturing output in the U.S. Midwest.

44.   Still, three quarter of manufacturing output is exported.

45.   That suggests that manufacturing output could weaken further as firms try to offload current stock.

46.   The government attributed the flat GDP growth to slower expansion in manufacturing output balancing swift growth of the service industry.

47.   The growth rates for manufacturing output, retail sales and inventory levels have all fallen recently, according to government data released this week.

48.   The index is calculated using figures and estimates of annual manufacturing output, electrical power consumed on a monthly basis and total hours worked.

49.   The latest growth figures follow a Confederation of British Industry survey pointing to weak demand for manufacturing output in the next four months.

50.   The government attributed the flat GDP growth to slower expansion in manufacturing output balancing swift growth of the domestic service industry.