Economy rolls on

From walking the halls at Interphex in New York and National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, exhibitors and attendees alike all pointed to the economy continuing to pick up steam.
Another indicator comes today from the Conference Board where consumer confidence numbers continue to rise. The March numbers show the consumer index rose 4.5 points, to 107.2, the highest level since May 2002, when the reading was 110.3.
The numbers for February came out at 102.7.
"The improvement in consumers' assessment of present-day conditions is yet another sign that the economy gained steam in early 2006," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.
Does this all mean 2006 will be a slam dunk and the economy will continue to rise?
"Consumer expectations, while improved, remain subdued and still suggest a cooling in activity in the latter half of this year," Franco said.
Let’s face it, obviously there are more issues to factor in the economy than the Conference Board’s consumer confidence numbers and a couple of manufacturing industry trade shows. But right now the industry is moving along nicely and the smart companies have policies in place that will help protect them if the economy goes south.