The insurance sector was also showing healthy gains following its sharp return to profit.

But budgets for the big charities have seen healthy gains in recent years.

"I don't know if it's going to be a billion dollars," he added, "but cable is making healthy gains."

The driving force behind the current housing revival has been job growth and healthy gains in personal income, economists say.

By contrast, real sales for the 2002 season are expected to show a healthy gain of about 4 to 5 percent over the previous year.

Aggregate measures of income, like the one in yesterday's report, have had healthy gains over the last year.

But the three key gauges ended the week with healthy gains.

And industrial production rose five-tenths of a percent last month, a healthy gain.

The over-the-counter market grew strongly, with healthy gains by companies that were sold or put into play.

In his first look at ad spending for next year, he predicted it would total $143 billion, representing a healthier gain of 7.5 percent.