For Katana Summit, a wind-tower manufacturer, that sign was a call from the developers of a project that, due to the credit crisis, had to suspend its order. (Read about the impact of government initiatives on the credit markets for alternative energy companies.)

 

Another company in the area, Behlen Manufacturing, watches "hobby farmers" closely as a leading indicator that things are starting to turn around. One of Behlen’s key customers is Tractor Supply, a retailer to professional and amateur farmers. Because the "hobby farmers" are "fairly wealthy," according to the NY Times, the first "sign of a pulse" will come from them.

 

According to the article, we’re in limbo. The author aptly puts it this way:

"That limbo is arguably the quintessential American experience of the moment. When the Great Recession is dissected into its component parts, this might be remembered as the Waiting Phase. It’s not as scary as the Plummeting Phase of last year, or as event-filled as the To-the-Ramparts Phase of several months ago, but that doesn’t make it any easier."

Read the full article here.