Manufacturing expansion at 44 month high

Those stock investors looking for a repeat of the 2002-2003 manufacturing relapse that helped send the U.S. economy hurtling back toward a recession (and share prices along with it) before a War in Iraq interrupted that process will have to wait at least another month as the ISM manufacturing index rose to 55.9 in December, its best reading since April of 2006.
New orders were strong as this key leading indicator rose from 60.3 in November to 65.5 in December. The outlook for manufacturing workers also improved, the employment index rising from 50.8 to 52.0, just below the recent high of 53.1 set in October.