Just been digging into the services sector and there's actually something interesting happening right now. After months of struggling, the U.S. non-manufacturing side is finally showing real momentum. February's ISM Services PMI jumped to 56.1, up from 53.8 in January - that's the highest we've seen since mid-2022.

What caught my attention is the underlying strength. Businesses aren't just optimistic on paper - they're actually building inventory and expanding operations. The Business Activity Index hit 59.9%, new orders jumped to 58.6%, and employment in the sector is accelerating. Even with Trump's tariffs creating headwinds, companies seem convinced the worst is behind them.

Given this backdrop, I've been looking at some stocks in this space that are positioned well. Liquidity Services is an interesting one - they run e-commerce marketplaces for inventory and equipment sales. Their earnings are expected to grow 10.9% this year and they've got solid analyst support. Then there's Remitly Global, which is in financial services for immigrants. The growth story there is much more aggressive - 59.4% expected earnings growth, and analyst estimates have improved significantly.

Exponent is another name worth watching. They're a consulting and scientific research firm operating across 90+ technical disciplines. Expected earnings growth is more modest at 10.6%, but the business model is solid. And then Sezzle, the digital payments company offering buy-now-pay-later solutions. Their growth trajectory is around 30.6% for the year.

All four of these carry strong analyst ratings. The broader point is that services sector recovery is real, and there are legitimate opportunities in companies that benefit from increased business activity and consumer spending. If this expansion continues through the next few quarters like businesses are betting, these kinds of plays could see meaningful upside.