Minnesota’s Economic Index Was Sharply Higher In Feb.

There was a surge of optimism about Minnesota’s economy among business supply managers last month.The Mid-America Business Conditions Survey from Creighton University put the state’s overall economic index at 64.1 in February. That was up almost 7 points from January and is the highest the index has been since March 2011. It also marked the 15th consecutive month the index has been above 50. Any reading above 50 is considered an indicator of future economic growth and every component of Minnesota’s index was well above 50 last month, including inventories at a very robust 72.5. The lowest number was the employment component at 54.