idolw - 7:36 am on Aug 19, 2009 (gmt 0)

this is easy to understand. all key factors are based on year-to-year comparison.
so if the entire world was stuck for 4 quarters in a row and something moved in the first quarter of next year we see a growth of production, GDP, etc.
however nobody remembers that numbers are still far below they were before it all started.