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Manufacturing growth in the Philadelphia area contracted in October, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.

Refrigerated truckload carrier Marten Transport’s third-quarter income rose 5.7% to $6.7 million or 31 cents a share, from $6.4 million or 29 cents a year earlier, the company said Thursday.

Truckload carrier USA Truck said Thursday its third-quarter net income fell 19.1% to $3.4 million, down from $4.2 million a year earlier. Earnings per share fell to 30 cents from 40 cents in the previous third quarter.

The Conference Board said Thursday its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.1% in September after falling 0.2% a month earlier.

Western freight railroad Union Pacific Corp. said Thursday its third-quarter profit rose to $420 million or $1.54 a share, from $369 million or $1.38 cents in 2005.

First-time U.S. jobless claims fell 10,000 to 299,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has authorized the removal of all tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike west of Route 128, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The Department of Transportation on Thursday granted Texas approval to award $1.8 billion in bond financing to the private developer selected to build State Highway 121 near Dallas, the Department of Transportation said.

Truckload carrier Celadon Group reported late Thursday it earned $7.1 million or 30 cents a share in its fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30, up 51.1% from 4.7 million or 20 cents a share in 2005.

Crude oil futures closed over $58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange following an announcement by Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi that the OPEC cartel will reduce its oil output by 1 million barrels a day, Bloomberg reported.