Too Many Message Boards
Economic Markers - How do YOU gauge the economy - Printable Version

+- Too Many Message Boards (http://tmmb.mywire.org)
+-- Forum: General Topics (http://tmmb.mywire.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Opinion and Politics (http://tmmb.mywire.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=75)
+--- Thread: Economic Markers - How do YOU gauge the economy (/showthread.php?tid=1444)



Economic Markers - How do YOU gauge the economy - king1 - 07-07-2022

My goto economic marker for how well the economy is doing has always been...

Harvey Norman - interest free period duration...
When things are bad, doom and gloom all around, interest free period scoots up to 60 months
When they are all good, their interest free period is usually 18/24 months 

Just wondering if anyone has any other different, slightly offbeat, indicators they watch, other than the usual media/economist statements.


RE: Economic Markers - How do YOU gauge the economy - harm_less - 07-07-2022

ANZ Bank's Truckometer index is a fairly accurate measure of business activity which correlates to the GDP well even in the turbulence resulting from the 2020 COVID lockdowns (and trade rebounds).

A less fact based but more localised indicator is the amount of shoppers present in your local CBD or shopping mall, and more especially how many of them are carrying shop issued carry bags indicating that they're actually buying stuff. The amount of retail premises that have To Let signs on them is also an undeniable red flag.