Economic Activity Back to Normal, Chicago Fed Index Shows

From the New York Times | Feb 22, 2010 | By Justin Lahart

The economy is back to its usual cruising speed, according to the Chicago Fed's national activity index.

The index rose to 0.02 in January from a negative 0.58 in December.
Anything above zero means that the pace of overall economic activity
faster than usual. A composite of 85 economic indicators, the index
includes data on employment and income and so is meant to be a broader
measure of the economy than gross domestic product.

But after the deepest recession since the 1930s, for economic
activity to be merely back to normal isn't enough. There remains a
large gap between where the economy is and where it needs to be for it
to be healthy. For that gap to be closed, the activity index will need
to push farther above zero, and stay there for some time.