Chicago » Corporate America is back.

Companies that do everything from making appliances to selling cruises are reporting strong first-quarter profits -- not because of the layoffs many of them used to dress up last year's earnings reports but because people are spending more.

The turnaround has yet to produce a dramatic increase in hiring, which isn't expected until 2011 or later. But it provides emphatic new evidence that the economy has moved past the crisis and should continue to strengthen.

"We're out of the woods for good," says Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. "This is not just an arithmetic story. It's a story of legitimate growth."

Companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index have reported 76 percent higher operating earnings than a year ago -- on pace to be the biggest year-over-year increase ever, according to S&P analyst Howard Silverblatt. Nearly half the firms in the index have reported earnings so far.

One reason for the gains is simply that the economy in early 2009 was at the depth of the worst recession in generations, but consumer spending is clearly making a comeback, as noted Wednesday by the Federal Reserve.

Wrapping up a two-day meeting, the Fed noted that spending has "picked up," an improvement from its last observation that spending was expanding at a "moderate pace."

In a 9-1 decision retaining its pledge to hold rates at historic lows for an "extended period," the Fed offered a more upbeat view of the economy, even as it noted that risks remain, chiefly in the job market.

After a year and a half of hunkering down, consumers are buying expensive items such as electronics and furniture and dining out more, even though an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent clouds the recovery and the housing market is still hurting.

"They've saved some money, they've paid down debt, and at a certain point you just get bored [with] eating frozen pizza and watching cable TV on a Saturday night," says Barry Ritholtz, head of the financial research firm FusionIQ.

Consumer spending has risen for five straight months, retail sales for four, and restaurant sales surged this spring after being stagnant since 2008. Profits from those sales reflect a healthier economy, as opposed to the drastic cost-cutting that helped companies improve their bottom lines in recent quarters.

Among the latest winners, Ford Motor Co. did an about-face from a year ago in reporting a $2.1 billion profit on 15 percent higher revenue; it plans to boost production. Caterpillar Inc. also reversed a loss from a year ago and said demand for its construction and mining equipment is surging.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. returned to a first-quarter profit as more travelers vacationed on its ships and spent additional money on board. UPS Inc. posted a 33 percent profit increase; it said tech firms are shipping more products and other industries are restocking inventories.

A parade of other Fortune 500 corporations also have boosted their full-year profit forecasts this month. This week alone, the list includes DuPont Co., Estee Lauder Cos. and Whirlpool Corp.

Exports have played a key role. Caterpillar enjoyed strong orders for its heavy equipment in developing countries, and Deere Inc. also is selling more. But domestic demand also has been strong, for a host of items.

"That's a function of consumers saying, 'OK, I need a dishwasher' or the couch is broken or whatever, and going out and finding a lot of stuff on sale," said Ritholtz, who also writes the financial.

Tech companies, too, are upping production. Intel Corp.'s sales climbed 44 percent.