Positives in the US Economy

Positive economic news is rarely seen in the media, but not all is doom and gloom in these days. There’s an article in Fortune.com that points out some bright spots (click HERE to view the article).  They are no guarantee that the good times are around the corner, but they do provide a helpful reminder that this slow recovery is exactly that: a recovery.

Highlights include:

A surge in agricultural products – $107.5 billion, second highest ever.  While agriculture alone probably won't be enough to sustain America's economic recovery, the surge will likely continue to last for a while as foreign markets, especially China, continue to demand products

M&A Activity Picking up. August was the busiest on record for mergers and acquisitions volume worldwide, and the $286 billion worth of deals announced marked the highest monthly level since July 2008, according to Dealogic. A sign corporations, with record amounts of cash on their balance sheet, are starting to spend it.

U.S. manufacturing expanded faster than expected as factories added workers and raised production to restock inventory and respond to demands form markets overseas. The Institute for Supply Management's factory index rose to a three-month high of 56.3 from 55.5 in July.

These are some “behind the scenes” indicators of the positives in the US economy.