Ford F-150s, which to some degree reflect the health and vitality of both the consumer and business sector, continue to see sales climb.  Last month, September sales were up from 60,000 to 70,000; this month, the improvement is less impressive but still notable as 2,100 more units moved off lots than they did in 2014.  You can see the YoY jump in the chart below of October F-150 sales going back to 1996.

On a YTD basis, Ford has sold 10,000 more F-150s through October than it had at this point last year (630,000 vs. 620,000).  That’s the most since 2006, and shows that while certain aspects of the economy – heavy manufacturing, export-oriented businesses, and energy producers – have struggled this year, the types of businesses that need pickups and households continue to roll along just fine.