Amid continuing mixed signals about the economy, one notable bright spot is the revival of U.S. manufacturing.  The Brookings Institution recently released the latest "How We're Doing" index: “Amid Fiscal Uncertainty, Manufacturing Is Up,” by Bruce and Martin Baily, Brookings Senior Fellow in Economic Studies. Bruce and Martin analyze the past five quarters of economic data to explore how growth in manufacturing is helping support the nation's fragile economic recovery. They write, “Amid continuing mixed signals about the state of the economy, one notable bright spot is the revival of U.S. manufacturing. The surprising strength of this once-battered sector holds promise for strengthening the U.S. economy overall, and despite continued troubles in Europe its new vigor may provide a boost to the global economy.”