by Laura Conaway

A pair of indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau today, both on the upside.

First, sales of new single-family homes rose in June by 9.6 percent over the month before. They're still down from this time in 2008, by 13.4 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau says the average price was $269,200, down from $276,900 in June and $301,900 last year.

Second, new orders for manufactured goods increased 4.9 percent last month over June — biggest jump in two years. MarketWatch notes that orders for new airplanes doubled. Transportation orders overall grew by 18.4 percent. Even without that bonus, orders were up .8 percent — it's small, but these days it counts for something.