What’s one of the latest signs that the economy is starting to recover? Furniture sales are way up! In fact, they’re up for the fourth quarter in a row, the first time in a decade that’s happened. Experts are even calling it the “sofa-bed index,” as in, the more sofa-beds people buy, the higher the confidence is in the economy.

So why do furniture sales signal a healthy economy? Because furniture can be pretty expensive and most people don’t buy it on impulse, they go shopping specifically for furniture.

Some experts say that it’s a sign that people are starting to buy big-ticket items across the board, like big-screen TVs. An increased willingness to spend big bucks on replacement furniture after a long period of belt-tightening is a positive sign.

Also: When people start to improve their homes, it means they’re considering jumping back into the real estate market. And that’s a definite positive for the economy.