Shipping economic recovery?

After nearly four years of an economic downturn, United Parcel Service says the United States' economy has turned around and the package carrier has the business to prove its point. Overnight air deliveries surged up 10.2 percent in the quarter and the traffic growth in domestic and international shipments led the carrier to issue its first positive view of the economy in more than three years. "We're seeing an strengthening in the economy evident in the increasing pickup demand from many of our customers," said UPS Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis.

UPS also said U.S. export traffic was growing late in the quarter and the weak European economy also showed signs of …