There is no doubt that the general opinion concerning the U.S. economy is not all that positive among professional investors and commentators these days. After all, the stock market has been bumping along since a big drop in late spring, gold has found some renewed vigor, lending activity is still soft and interest rates and inflation appear to be low.
Yet, a quick look at some other industrial indicators suggests that things are not yet getting all that bad.
Rails Roll On
September's Rail Time Indicators report from the Association of American Railroads (covering the month of August) continued to show what amounts to at least a tepid recovery in rail traffic. Overall carload volume was up almost 6% from the year-ago level, though still below 2008 levels (to say nothing of 2007 and 2006) by more than a double-digit margin. What does stand out as a potential warning flag, though, was the seasonally-adjusted sequential performance where carloads did fall about 1.6% from August.
For the full column, please click the link below:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/Rails-And-Supplies-Suggest-More-Volatility-CNI-CP-UNP-NSC-GWW0914.aspx
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