The Labor Department said U.S. businesses increased...

The Labor Department said U.S. businesses increased their productivity at an annual rate of 3.6% from July through September, indicating to analysts a lean economy that will make any post-stock market crash recession a mild one. The third-quarter efficiency improvement, the largest since the first three months of 1986, was a full percentage point greater than the 2.6% gain originally reported in preliminary figures last month.