The strong upward revision to second quarter U.S. GDP was the result of strong exports and the fiscal stimulus package, according to economists who are already looking forward to GDP results from the third quarter.

Second-quarter U.S. GDP rose above expectations in the preliminary report, rising to 3.3% from the previously reported 1.9%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Thursday.

Economists were expecting a revision to 2.7%. First-quarter growth in 2008 was 0.9%. Exports advanced by 13.2% in the revision, up from...

In the U.S., the focus will be on preliminary Q2 GDP data and jobless claims figures, while Canadian markets receive second-quarter current account numbers.

The number of U.S. residents and businesses that filed for bankruptcy rose 28.9% to 976,831 for the year ended June 30, 2008, according to U.S. court data released Wednesday.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported that non- business filings comprised 96.5% of that total...

Mortgage interest rates broke through the gridlock of the last few weeks and, with the exception of one-year adjustable rates, moved lower.

Mortgage activity as measured by the volume of loan applications increased by a marginal 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from a week earlier and decreased by 0.9 percent unadjusted. Volume was down 31.2 percent compared to the same week in 2007.