This economy appears to withstand bad weather, high energy prices and the end of government stimulus.

US rails are transporting increasing volumes of material for manufacturing. Recent increases are almost double the first-quarter growth during the 2003-2006 recovery period.

According to John Mims, a transportation analyst at BB&T Corp., “We’ve had no indications from the rails that they’re pulling back on their projections for strong commodity shipments throughout the year, which is a strong indication that industrial production will continue to improve.”