Business Activity in U.S. Unexpectedly Accelerated (November)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aKw80LRnuFSY&pos=3

Business activity in the U.S. unexpectedly accelerated in November as orders climbed, signaling the economic recovery will carry through into 2010.

The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago Inc. said today its barometer rose to 56.1, the highest level since August 2008, from 54.2 the prior month. Readings above 50 signal expansion. Milwaukee and Texas also showed gains in manufacturing, other reports showed.

Rising sales, spurred in part by government incentives, and growing demand from abroad have led to a drawdown in inventories that will boost production and sustain the recovery. Mounting job losses raise the risk spending will retrench, one reason why Federal Reserve policy makers have pledged to keep borrowing costs low “for an extended period.”

“There is definitely room for production to be coming back,” said David Semmens, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York, who forecast the index would rise. “There will be some export-led growth.”

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"Rising sales, spurred in part by government incentives..."

AKA stimulus

And if Obama wasn't such a coward, he'd raise taxes to fair levels so we could really begin to have real stimuluses.

and avoid the GOP smear of "tax raiser" while he is trying to handle all the other things on his plate...