Head out on the highway: Just in time for the start of summer driving season, Kelly Blue Book has named the top 10 road trip cars of 2009. The company, best known for its car value guides, picked the best vehicle to get away for a variety of trips. The Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI was named as best vehicle for a cross-country trip, while the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was judged as the best car for a driver’s trip and the Honda Element was tops for a camping trip. To read the entire list, click here.
First gain since late last year: A private research’s group forecast of economic activity rose more than expected in April, the first gain in seven months. The Conference Board says its index of leading economic indicators, designed to forecast economic activity in the next three to six months, rose 1% last month. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected a 0.8% increase. Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein says that means declines in activity could switch to growth in the overall economy in the second half of the year. The index is derived from 10 components including stock prices, the money supply, jobless claims and new orders by manufacturers.
