The US has recorded the largest one-month drop in manufacturing activity for September, since 1984.
September reports showed manufacturing activity dropped to its lowest level in seven years and that US companies had shed 8000 workers during the month.
And there are more signs the crisis on Wall Street is spreading to the broader American economy.
The New York Stock Exchange held its breath overnight ahead of the Senate vote on the redrafted financial rescue package.
The Dow Jones industrial average was virtually flat for most of the session, closing 19 points weaker at 10,831. The Nasdaq and the Standard and Poor's 500 were also lower.
In London, the FT-100 gained just over 1 per cent or 57 points to end at 4,960.
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