Payrolls at U.S. companies increased in December by the most in nine months, consistent with further progress in the labor market, according to data released Jan. 4 from the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, N.J.

U.S. manufacturing expanded in December at the fastest pace in three months, as gains in orders and production capped the strongest year for factories since 2004, the Institute for Supply Management said Jan. 3.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders jumped in December to the highest level since July 1999, exceeding all analyst estimates, as a growing economy boosts housing demand, according to data Dec. 18 from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo.