The chart below shows that all six of our recovery indicators are in positive territory for the first time since the start of the recession.

There were some movements in the indicators from the Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing indices, the biggest being non-manufacturing imports, which is now at 50, or neutral. Even though new orders for non-manufacturing businesses retreated, it is still showing strong growth. The same is true for the ISM manufacturing new orders; in that sector, however, the import indicators rose. The NASDAQ had its ups and downs all month, especially with the crisis in Japan, but ended up increasing for the month, and is actually above the inflation-adjusted level of December 2007. The Q4-2010 proprietors’ income data final data, our indicator of the condition of small business, finally broke above the current dollar level at the start of the recession by 2%. It is still about 5% below the recession start on an inflation-adjusted basis.

Finally, these measures all show an economy that has recovered. Unfortunately, the employment data of last week do not show such a recovery. We’ll discuss employment conditions next week.

About Dr. Joe Webb

Consultant, entrepreneur, and economics commentator Dr. Joe Webb started his career in the industrial imaging industry more than 30 years ago. He found his way into business research, planning, marketing and forecasting executive positions along the way, as well as consulting for firms ranging from large multinationals to small businesses. Dr. Webb started an Internet-based research business in 1995, selling it to a multinational publisher in 2000. Since that time, his consulting, speaking, and research projects have focused on the interaction of B2B economics and technology trends. He is a doctoral graduate in industrial and corporate education from New York University, holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College, with baccalaureate work in managerial sciences and marketing at Manhattan College. He has taught in graduate and undergraduate business programs in a number of Northeast US colleges, and currently resides in Rhode Island.