Leading indicators rise 1.2 percent in December, third consecutive gain

AP ^ | 1-22-02 | EILEEN ALT POWELL, AP Business Writer

[Oldeconomybuyer]

NEW YORK (AP) -- A key gauge of U.S. economic activity rose a strong 1.2 percent in December, and the third consecutive monthly gain signaled that the nation's economy could be nearing a rebound.

The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday that the December gain in its Index of Leading Economic Indicators was the largest since February 1996 and followed a revised rise of 0.8 percent in November and 0.1 percent in October.

[eureka!]

In a perfect world, this article would include "...despite the best efforts of the Senate Democrats under Tom Dasshole..."

[NittanyLion]

Daschle and the complicit media whores will do everything in their power to avoid a resurgence of the economy in 2002. If the economy does expand, don't expect to see it reported outside FoxNews, the WSJ, and a few others.

[InvisibleChurch]

"Yes, and just in time for the elections. Excellent!"

[1Old Pro]

Still, he predicted that the recovery would be weak.

Which is precisely the reason we need an economic stimulus package with significant tax cuts.

[teletech]

In a perfect world, this article would include "...despite the best efforts of the Senate Democrats under Tom Dasshole..."

Amen!

[NeoCaveman]

Good news. BUMP

[Wm Bach]

Still, he predicted that the recovery would be weak.

Not weak. Slow and steady which wins the race. Eileen's still vibrating within the tulip craze emanation within the dot.com penumbra of irrational exhuberance.

[Wright is right!]

"If the economy does expand, don't expect to see it reported outside FoxNews, the WSJ, and a few others."

The networks have a Handy-Dandy device for handling all stories that say the economy is recovering. First, they don't report them at all - UNTIL they can find ANOTHER story that says "recovery dampened." THEN, they run the "recovery dampened" story with a headline similar to "Economic Recovery Reports Dashed By Skeptic." In this story, the skeptic gets all the time - with no countering comments - to rebut the "recovery reports" which the network never even aired in the first place.

In this case, the story about the three leading indicators will get no time from the networks - UNTIL something (ANYTHING) happens that they can use to "rebut a report they never aired."

It's like, "Remember that plane crash we didn't tell you about? Well, new evidence suggests that the plane didn't crash at all, and secondly, there MAY have been some survivors."

That's about as much sense as the networks make these days.

Michael