By most conventional metrics, it appears the U.S. economy is heading in a positive direction: Jobless claims are down, consumer confidence is up, and the stock market appears relatively stable. However, those positive indicators are far from robust by historical standards. And worries still remain, including concerns about volatile energy prices and fear that Europe’s debt problems could lead to a global recession.
Amid this somewhat ambiguous outlook, it’s only natural to yearn for more positive signs, and even to seek them among some less traditional economic metrics. And as it happens, our (admittedly unscientific) search turned up a number of areas — including entertainment, recreation and food service — where things look to be looking up. Here are six highly unorthodox indicators of economic recovery.
