Rising unemployment, swine flu and the threat of health care reform all ganged up on managed care companies in the third quarter and could hurt their performance heading into 2010. But most of the large publicly traded health insurers reported better-than-expected profit growth for the latest period, and analysts still see strong core businesses beneath the challenges facing the industry.

A late rally helped propel the Dow to a positive finish Monday as financial stocks rebounded.

Stocks erased all of their gains Monday after an early surge due to a better-than-expected manufacturing report. Financials led the decline.

The Dow shot up more than 100 points Monday after a report showed manufacturing expanded more than expected last month.

Health insurer Humana Monday projected lower profit next year as it sees profit margin pressure on its Medicare business for the elderly and weaker enrollment in its commercial plans serving employers.

By Lewis Krauskopf

Health insurer Humana Inc. rode its strong government business in posting a 65 percent jump in third-quarter profit Monday, as bulging membership and premiums from Medicare Advantage overcame a lackluster commercial segment hampered by the weak economy.

Stock futures pointed to a modest rebound ahead of the open Monday after the Dow and the S&P 500 experienced their biggest one-day percentage drops Friday since July 2.

What follows is a roundup of corporate earnings reports for Monday, Nov.2.

Health insurer Humana Inc., whose robust government business has helped produced healthy profits, reports third-quarter results on Monday. Here are key developments related to that period.

For investors who can stomach a rough few months and hold them into next year, scooping up health insurance stocks may be a smart move.

The government is investigating a major insurance company for allegedly trying to scare seniors with a mailer warning they could lose important benefits under health care reform.

The government is investigating a major insurance company for allegedly trying to scare seniors about the health care overhaul in Congress.

Costs for employer-provided health plans are expected to rise more than 10 percent within the next year, a jump workers may feel in their paychecks or through changes to their insurance coverage.

Stocks rallied to their highest closes since November Monday following encouraging economic reports from the U.S. and abroad and following news that auto sales got a boost from the "Cash for Clunkers" program.