Industry Outlook.

The article presents a forecast on the performance of the industrial sector of the U.S. for 1997. Some forecasters say that the U.S. economy is ticking out steady 2% to 2.5% growth, quarter after quarter. According to a poll conducted by "Business Week," 93% of the interviewed top executives say they are optimistic about the 1997 economy, with 82% predicting that growth will match or exceed 1996's performance. Economist Bruce E. Steinberg of Merrill Lynch & Co. notes that inflation has never before remained so tame this late in an expansion--a sign that what he calls the too-good-to-be-true economy can keep rolling on.