The economy continues to expand in most areas of the country, as evidenced in a number of recently released reports and indexes.

Specifically, according to the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report, U.S. consumer prices are rising modestly and hiring has increased at a faster pace in most regions.

Consumers are more upbeat, as reflected in a jump in the University of Michigan’s U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index from 90.2 in May to 95.2 in early June. The U.S. trade gap surged to a new record level, widening by 3.8 percent in April to $48.3 billion, according to the Commerce Department.

Industrial output rose at the fastest rate in nearly six years to a new record level, increasing 1.1 percent in May to 116.9 on the Federal Reserve Index. Fueled by higher gasoline and food prices, the U.S. Consumer Price Index increased 0.6 percent in May -- the biggest jump since January 2001, according to the Labor Department. Core inflation however, excluding food and energy prices, remained at a tame 0.2 percent. U.S. business inventories were up 0.5 percent in April, reflecting the eighth monthly increase, in a Commerce Department report.

Housing starts were virtually flat in May, dipping just 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.97 million from 1.98 million in April. Driven by higher sales of gasoline and autos, U.S. retail sales climbed 1.2 percent in May, while retail sales excluding autos increased 0.7 percent. Initial weekly jobless claims fell 15,000 to 336,000, while the four-week average dropped 2,750 to 343,250.

So why are we not celebrating? It appears that these strong signals are either being ignored by the public or they have not been front-page news. Either way, businesses and consumers should be taking advantage of the economy, markets and low interest rates prior to the general consumer population actually participating in the growth. The train has already left the station. Before it is at full speed, we all should be jumping onboard.

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