State’s Economy is on the Upswing

WVU economists are convinced that the economy is improving. The business index at West Virginia University shows a 2 percent improvement in the state’s economy from a year ago and has posted monthly gains for 11 of the past 13 months. Economists are also optomistic that the state should post moderate growth over the next several months. At the same time, outcomes differ by region and it will still take years to recover all the jobs lost since 2012. Coal production rose 3.9 percent in August from the previous month, accounting for most of the month’s 0.3 percent overall increase.