Manufacturing registered its fastest pace of growth in nearly six years in April while data on construction and consumer spending pointed to further strength in the economy.

Consumer spending, which accounts for over two-thirds of economic activity, rose in March for a sixth straight month, the Commerce Department reported on Monday.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national manufacturing activity rose to 60.4 in April from 59.6 in March, beating Reuters' median forecast for a reading of 60. A rise in the employment component showed employers were more confident about hiring.

"This is a strong report on the economy, indicating that the production recovery continues to move ahead at a very good pace," said Brian Bethune, chief U.S. [Read the full article]

Automakers released April U.S. sales figures Monday. These were the top-selling vehicles, as well as the percent change in sales from April 2009. [Read the full article]

Autoliv Inc. (NYSE: ALV - News) has posted a profit of $1.39 per share for the first quarter of 2010, in sharp contrast to a loss of 90 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

With this, the company has also beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.33 per share. Improved sales due to market recovery, especially in the “Triad (North America, Europe and Japan) along with the positive impact from restructuring efforts, initiated in July 2008, led the improved results.

Consolidated net sales amounted to $1.72 billion, a robust year-over-year increase of 86%, in line with the guidance of achieving a sales growth of more than 70%. Consequently, organic sales (i.e., sales excluding currency effects and acquisitions/divestitures) grew 64%, better than Autoliv guidance of an organic sales increase of “more than 50% for the quarter. This was attributable to strong sales growth in the Triad as well as in China and South Korea. [Read the full article]

Ford Motor Co. said Monday that its April sales rose 25 percent, helped by broader sales of cars, SUVs and F-series pickup trucks.

It was the fifth month in a row that Ford, the only of Detroit's Big Three automakers to avoid bankruptcy court, posted a sales increase of 20 percent or more. SUV sales were up 33 percent, while car sales rose 10 percent.

TOP SELLER: F-Series pickup truck. Ford sold 40,946 in April, a 42 percent improvement over April 2009. [Read the full article]