U.S. Economy Strengthens on Gas ‘Tailwind,’ Dow CEO Says

The U.S. economic recovery is gathering strength as cheaper natural gas drives business investment and boosts exports, according to the chief executive officer of Dow Chemical Co., the country’s largest chemicals company.

U.S. demand is rising for autos, industrial goods and consumer staples such as packaging, Andrew Liveris said yesterday in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York. Dow is running its plants close to capacity because falling gas prices have cut production costs, he said.