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Economic Indices October 2010
For Immediate Release
November 3, 2010
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166
The Global Economy Continues Its Slow Expansion,
According To Decision Analyst Economic Index
Arlington, Texas—The Decision Analyst U.S. Economic Index registered
96 in October, remaining the same as the previous month. China has the highest
Index score at 133, while France has the lowest score at 79. In Europe, Germany
is the only European country with a score above 100. For the majority of countries
the overall pattern has been a gradual uptrend in the Index over the past 18
months. The Economic Indices are a leading indicator for each individual country
(tending to foreshadow overall economic activity by six to 12 months). They
are forecasting a slowly expanding economy for the balance of 2010 and the first
half of 2011.
“The economy continues its slow and steady growth,” according to
Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst. “In the U.S. the manufacturing
sector has improved moderately, consumer spending is gradually rising, interest
rates remain low, and major corporations are flush with cash. The global economy
should continue to muddle along and expand modestly. The biggest barriers to
a more rapid recovery are high unemployment, the budget problems of all governmental
entities, and the lack of credit for small businesses. Since small businesses
are so important in creating new jobs, the lack of credit is retarding job creation.
If there are no major shocks to the system (such as another financial crisis
or credit freeze), the global economy should continue its recovery.”
The following graphs show the individual Economic Indices by country.
The Index numbers for Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany,
Mexico, and Spain are a three-month moving average to smooth out month-to-month
fluctuations. The reported Index number averages the current month with the
two previous months.
Methodology
The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on a monthly Internet survey of
several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography. The online
survey is conducted the last 10 days of each month. The Economic Index is calculated
from nine different economic measurements using a sophisticated econometric
model. The result is a snapshot of current economic activity in each country
surveyed, as seen through the eyes of representative consumers living in the
respective countries. Decision Analyst conducts its concurrent economic surveys
each month in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia,
France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russian Federation,
Spain, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela.
Whenever the Decision Analyst Economic Index is greater than 110, it tends
to signal an expanding economy. An Index value of 100 to 110 suggests a slow-growth
economy, and near or below 100 generally indicates economic contraction. These
guidelines vary by country, however.
About Decision Analyst
Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com) is a leading global marketing research
and analytical consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy
research, new product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision
optimization. The 32-year-old firm delivers competitive advantage to clients
throughout the world in the consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, retail,
technology, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, Decision Analyst
owns and operates the American Consumer Opinion® Online panel—one
of the largest consumer opinion panels in the world—with more than eight
million members.
For additional information contact:
Cristi Allen
Publicity
Email: callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 1-800-ANALYSIS (262-5974) or 1-817-640-6166
Address: 604 Avenue H East
Arlington, TX 76011
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