Production went up again at the nation's factories in September, the Federal Reserve just reported. The 0.7% increase from August was the third straight month that production increased and, Reuters writes, means that output grew at a 5.2% in the third quarter — the largest quarterly rise since first-quarter 2005.

Much of the increase in September came in the auto sector. Its output went up 7.4% last month and about 11% in both July and August.

The news adds to other recent signs that the recession, which officially began in December 2007, has ended — though any recovery has so far been modest at best. For much more on the economy's ups and downs, see Planet Money.