The economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter after coming to a near standstill in the first six months of the year.

Several of Iran's largest banks have been swindled out of an estimated $2.6 billion. The scandal has sparked a widening investigation with more than 30 arrests so far. Some question if advisers close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are involved.

At High Point, N.C.'s biannual furniture market, manufacturers hawk their products to retailers. And this week, a large pavilion is dedicated to American-made furniture. There are signs that shifts in China could spur a comeback for furniture makers in the United States.

Starting next year, the largest hedge funds — those with more than $1.5 billion in assets — will have to reveal the location of their investments, their investing strategy and other details. The hedge funds won a couple of concessions: There's no penalty for misleading information, and the reports will only be available to regulators.

The 12-member supercommittee charged with finding at least $1.2 trillion in budget cuts next month met publicly for the first time in six weeks Wednesday — and agreed on little more than the fact that time is indeed growing short for them to approve a deal. Co-chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said a lot of hard work has been done to find common ground and agree on a balanced, bipartisan plan for deficit reduction. But, she added, "We're not there yet."

One little-noticed measure of economic growth is the Truck Tonnage Index. The latest reading shows that trucks are carrying more goods, and that suggests the economy is doing well enough to avoid a recession.

Ex-Goldman Sachs Director Rajat Gupta surrendered to the FBI Wednesday on criminal charges of leaking inside information to the founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund. Michele Norris talks to Ilya Marritz for more.