Geithner: U.S. economy close to full recovery

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
The U.S. economy is close to the final stages of recovery from the financial crisis, said outgoing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday
In terms of a basketball game, the U.S. is in the "early part of the fourth quarter" of recovery, Geithner said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal
Geithner said Europe is lagging behind and is only in the "second quarter" of recovery
The Treasury Secretary, whose last day on the job is Jan. 25, said the economy "looks encouragingly resilient."
"We've got much more diversity of strengths, from energy and high tech to manufacturing, than is true for any major economy, and people should find comfort and some optimism in that," he said