Is the economy steadily improving or is it at risk to slip back into a recession? Is inflation about to take off or are its fears unfounded?

The answer to these questions is debated daily, depending upon the published stat du jour.

With the bulk of the companies having already reported their results, how did the fourth quarter shape up? Well, it all depends upon what you compare them against.

If you look at the comparable period the year before, the fourth quarter looked outstanding. However, it was only slightly better than the prior three-month period.

Common wisdom is that the United States is the sine qua non of global entrepreneurship. Quite simply, when it comes to the creation of not only startups, but those with high-growth potential, this is the place to be. And that's a good thing, too, because it's supposed to fuel economic growth.

But a new report from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy has found otherwise.

Outsourcing to India might just become a thing of the past. Who needs to outsource when it's just about as cheap to keep the work in the USA?

Wage costs are on the rise in China and India, spurring companies like GE to relocate some operations back in the US, something my colleague Nick Lord recently discussed. And of course, the employment rate in this country has been skirting 10 percent for a while.