Honestly I think its on life support and they're about to pull the plug.



[snip]
There were compelling signs this week that the U.S. economy is, ever so gradually, picking up speed. Keeping the recovery on track, though, will mean dodging several very large obstacles that could derail it again.
The latest piece of upbeat news came from the Conference Board, which said Friday that its index of leading economic indicators jumped by 0.9 percent in October, up sharply from a 0.1 percent increase in September and a 0.3 percent rise in August.
The private research group said much of the increase was due to a rise in building permits for future construction, which jumped nearly 11 percent in October, to the highest level since March 2010.
The dismal housing market has been one of the main dampers on the U.S. economic recovery. Now, four years after the new housing market all but shut down, home construction is showing signs of life. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that single family housing starts jumped 3.9 percent in October. A separate report by an industry group found that homebuilders are getting more optimistic than they've been since May 2010.
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