“When we see things like (front-line industries) improve, it’s an indicator that real activity is taking place,” said Frank Hefner, research economist at the College of Charleston. “It’s fact, not opinion.”

That’s why some experts take bellwether activity more seriously than consumer confidence surveys or national economic indicator reports, Hefner said. They’re a sign that business owners, even conservative ones, have been prompted into action by market demand.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/may/24/front-line-dispatches/