“1. U.S. manufacturing corporations are on track to earn record profits in 2011, of about $600 billion based on data available from the U.S. Census through the third quarter (see chart above). That’s an increase of 22 percent from 2010, and more than four times the 4.8 percent increase in profits for all U.S. corporations in 2011. It’s also double the $300 billion of manufacturing profits in 2009 and almost 15 percent higher than the previous record of $525 billion in 2006.