Several signs point to a growing economy

After a brutal recession and years of sluggish recovery, the U.S. economy is gaining real momentum. GDP rose by 5 percent in the third quarter of 2014, the biggest quarterly gain since 2003. December's addition of 252,000 jobs capped a year of gains that was the strongest since 1999. Consumer sentiment is as high as it's been in seven years. Throw in low gas prices and many people's financial situation is better than it has been in years, though sluggish wage growth is a festering problem.