Here’s more good economic news.

U.S. factory output surged in December by the most in any month in 2011, offering the most visible evidence yet that manufacturing is roaring back from the recession’s depths even as declining prices at the wholesale level shows inflation remains in check, according to two reports out Wednesday.

Stronger demand for business equipment, vehicles and energy drove the 0.9% increase in manufacturing output, the biggest monthly increase since December 2010. And a larger portion of U.S. factories were operating, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday in a report on the nation’s industrial production.

Overall output of the nation’s factories, mines and utilities grew 0.4% in December although warm weather dampened demand for energy produced by utilities.

Industrial output is now less than 5% below its pre-recession peak, reached in September 2007. It has increased more than 14% since hitting a recession low in June 2009.

We’re seeing improvement in the job numbers as well, so hopefully we’re now on a positive business cycle.

The news from Chrysler and the US auto industry keeps getting better. Here are some updates:

-it plans to add 1,100 jobs at its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit by to build a diesel version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

-In 2011, Chrysler’s sales increased 26.2% — the most of any major automaker

-Last month, Chrysler announced plans to reopen its Conner Avenue Assembly Plant to build the 2013 SRT Viper. That plant was idled in 2010. About 150 will be employed at that plant.

What we’re seeing is further evidence that the auto bailout was a huge success. It’s contributing to the overall rebound of the US manufacturing industry.

Also, Chrysler is making better cars. Sergio Marchionne is a great CEO. He saved Fiat and now he’s doing the same with Chrysler.

Has it really been ten years since the Euro was introduced?

When the euro was introduced just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2002, celebratory fireworks exploded above the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt. The historic bridge the Pont Neuf in Paris was lit up in European Union blue with 12 rays of light to symbolize the 12 nations circulating the euro — as people in those countries lined up at A.T.M.’s to get their hands on new bills that would be daily reminders of the project of European integration and unity.

Ten years later, the word “euro” in a headline is usually paired with the word “crisis.” Instead of hosting celebrations for the 10-year anniversary, policy makers appear to be staying as quiet as possible, as if hoping not to upset the brief calm that has come with the holiday season after European central bankers injected nearly $640 billion into the European banking system in December.

Will Europe get its act together? The recent events in Italy have to be encouraging. Let’s see if the austerity can be sustained.

After years of economic misery, things are starting to turn a little. While the news from Europe keeps throwing cold water on the situation, economic conditions in the United States seem to be improving, and that is fueling economic optimism.

Four years after the recession officially began in December 2007, economists, businesses and consumers alike have expressed a growing optimism about the recovery in recent weeks. The more confident, if still tempered, outlook is taking shape as the nation seems to be navigating past some big stumbling blocks — such as high gasoline prices — that have impeded growth most of this year. Some recent encouraging signs:

Vehicle sales in November rose 14% from a year ago to an annual rate of 13.6 million — their best showing since cash-for-clunker incentives drove purchases in August 2009. Economists cite, in part, the recent easing of auto shipment disruptions that followed the Japanese earthquake early this year, as well as a less diffident consumer.

“We’re getting some pent-up demand kicking in where people who have not replaced for a long, long time, particularly if they’re still working … are deciding it’s time,” says Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight.

Read the entire article and see the various ways things are getting better.

The Chrysler comeback continues as it posted 3rd quarter profits.

Chrysler Group said today it made a profit of $212 million in the third quarter, well up from a loss of $84 million a year earlier.

The automaker, majority-owned by Italy’s Fiat, said its revenue for the quarter was $13.1 billion, up 19% from a year ago. It had $9.5 billion in cash at the end of the quarter, down from $10.2 billion a year earlier.

The earnings announcement comes just a day after Chrysler announced a new contract with the United Auto Workers union, last of the Detroit 3 to do so. That contract won approval of just 54.75% of UAW members, and a majority of the skilled-trades workers opposed it.

This is further evident that the Obama Administration’s auto bailout has worked. Chrysler is now a healthy company, and the auto industry is helping to drive the US economy.

When you’re mapping out your marketing strategy for your business, regardless of size you should consider a wide variety of options.

Of course, in today’s world, online advertising, mobile advertising and social media are critical components that you need to consider. If you’re not sure what a Twitter account or a Facebook page can do for your business, then you better get some help. These are the basics, and there are plenty of other options for new media promotions such as Groupon as well.

On the other hand, traditional methods have been around for a long time for a reason. Some are going away with the emergence of the web, but many old-school methods can be very effective. Think about things like mailers, coupons in newspapers and calendar printing can help you get attention when your competitors are exclusively thinking about new media. Also, online ordering has made these traditional methods much more affordable and efficient.

So consider all your options and create the best strategy for your business.

With the news that NBC has cancelled “The Playboy Club,” a new television show about the infamous club in Chicago in the early 1960s that helped Hugh Hefner grow his empire, we thought we’d take a look at the modern versions of the club and how the Playboy empire is doing today.

Above you can see a slideshow of beautiful Playboy Bunnies from The Playboy Club in Las Vegas. The photos are courtesy of Bullz-Eye.com from their coverage of the 2009 Playmate of the Year party hosted at the club at The Palms in Las Vegas. The club is spectacular and it’s located at the top of the new hotel tower at The Palms. All of the dealers are dressed as bunnies, and the atmosphere is very sexy and elegant.

Since opening the Las Vegas location, Playboy has opened clubs in London and Cancun in an attempt to leverage the brand. With that backdrop, the cancellation hurts Hefner’s company as the exposure would have helped fuel new clubs. Right now efforts to add a club in Chicago have stalled.

Even with this setback, the Playboy Club strategy seems to make sense, as it provides licensing revenue for the company. The clubs will always do very well with tourists and attract curious customers.

That said, the exclusive nature of the old clubs is not a part of this business. Also, in Las Vegas, we noticed that all the beautiful women were wearing bunny costumes, as the club wasn’t one of the hot spots that attracted the beautiful women of Vegas. They were at the hotter clubs.

It’s a sad day, as our generation’s Edison has passed away at the young age of 56.

Meg Whitman is in, and the unpopular Leo Apotheker is out as CEO.

There’s little information on how this will impact HP’s strategy or their possible spinoff of the PC business. We’ll see . . .

There’s plenty of bad news out there about the economy, but sales of luxury products are doing very well.

Nordstrom has a waiting list for a Chanel sequined tweed coat with a $9,010 price. Neiman Marcus has sold out in almost every size of Christian Louboutin “Bianca” platform pumps, at $775 a pair. Mercedes-Benz said it sold more cars last month in the United States than it had in any July in five years.

Even with the economy in a funk and many Americans pulling back on spending, the rich are again buying designer clothing, luxury cars and about anything that catches their fancy. Luxury goods stores, which fared much worse than other retailers in the recession, are more than recovering — they are zooming. Many high-end businesses are even able to mark up, rather than discount, items to attract customers who equate quality with price.

“If a designer shoe goes up from $800 to $860, who notices?” said Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at the consulting firm Kurt Salmon, and the former chairman and chief executive of Saks.

The rich do not spend quite as they did in the free-wheeling period before the recession, but they are closer to that level.

The performance of the stock market has a lot to do with it according to the article, so sellers of luxury goods are probably very nervous today!