North American companies have announced plans to eliminate more than 62,600 positions at home and abroad since Sept. 1, the biggest two-month drop since the start of 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Firings total 158,100 so far this year, more than the 129,000 job cuts in the same period in 2011.

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So far, out of 235 S&P 500 companies that have released third-quarter earnings, 137 have reported sales that trailed analysts’ estimates, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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“A lot of companies have been positioned for continued growth and we’re seeing some stagnation or a modest decline,” Andy Kaplowitz, a New York-based industrial analyst for Barclays Plc, said in a telephone interview on Oct. 24.

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The world’s largest economy probably grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter after expanding at a 1.3 percent pace in the previous three months, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg before an Oct. 26 Commerce Department report. It would be the first back- to-back readings lower than 2 percent since the U.S. was emerging from the recession in 2009.

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StratX, LLC offers the above commentary for informational purposes only, and does not necessarily agree with the views expressed by these outside parties.

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StratX, LLC is a management consulting firm and strategic advisory that focuses on the analysis of current and future weak(ening) economic conditions, and offers businesses and other entities advice, strategies, and actionable methods on how to optimally adapt to such challenging, complex conditions.