Odd Indicators

By Econ70 | 04/13/2012
A man in a suit and glasses is holding his hands up

The Friday File: Economists use many indicators to estimate economic activity. Here are some of the oddest. Times are bad when; there is a spike in the reselling of cemetery plots, when the number of NFL games that are not blacked-out rises (because games are not sold out), when advertisements for the Marines highlight toughness,…

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Economy is Not Fun

By Econ70 | 06/02/2011
A man in a suit and bow tie sitting down.

The Institute of Supply Management’s Manufacturing Activity Index fell to 53.5 in May from 60.4. This shows the pace of manufacturing activity moderating since the index reached a 7 year high of 61.2 in March. Add to it a decline in Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index from 66 in April to a 6 month low…

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