Yesterday's "Fabricating Update" e-newsletter featured an item from businessweek.com that suggested the U.S. is undergoing a "manufacturing renaissance." The article, "Manufacturing booms as Deere exemplifies productivity surge," quoted Wells Capital Management Chief Investment Strategist James Paulsen, who believes that because "once-ailing manufacturers are enjoying a robust rebound as cost-saving moves from job cuts to a greater reliance on technology help drive stronger-than-forecast growth," the renaissance potential exists. 

Paulsen predicted that the industry will set the pace for U.S. expansion and the American stock market during this decade, as technology did in the 1990s. (more...)