How Strong Is the Current Economy? These Companies Provide Some Hints

The world economy is a vast and amorphous entity that can be hard to read and even more difficult to predict. However, you can get something of a checkup on the global economy by taking a look at industrial giants like General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), Siemens (NASDAQOTH: SIEGY), Eaton Corporation plc (NYSE: ETN), Honeywell International Inc.

(NYSE: HON), and ABB Ltd (NYSE: ABB). Here's what recent results at these industrial giants are telling us about the global economy.