It's hard going trying to pick through the mass (and morass) of economic commentators and data for any clear signs on where the economy is headed.
Two handy signs of economic activity are demand for boxes (for shipping things) and freight traffic (for shipping bigger things!).
Today, the FT has a story on the fall in demand for rail freight. While analysts suggest the data show the economy is still struggling, the data reflect rail freight traffic in the first quarter. We already know that this was the worst part of the recession - the destocking phase in which there was little international trade.
Unfortunately, we can't draw conclusions about current activity. But look to any future stats on boxes or freight traffic to tell confirm if the economy is moving again.