The report arrives ahead of the holiday shopping season, a critically important time for retailers
Manufacturing sales saw second consecutive monthly decline
Look for companies with improved balance sheets
Consumer prices rose 2.6% from a year earlier, up from 2.4% in September
Employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs last month: StatCan
The central bank's next interest rate announcement is scheduled for Dec. 11
Steeper rates have increased the debt load of low- and middle-income households
The results came as total exports edged down 0.1% to $63.9B
Economists say the total was held down by the effects of strikes, hurricanes
Government reports that an inflation gauge closely watched by the Fed fell to its lowest level in three-and-a-half years