If you casually listen to business news, you may have heard that the U.S. economy is arguably on the brink of a recession because inflation still hasn’t been tamed, the yield curve is inverted, and consumer confidence is low. However, in the same newscast, you probably learned that the S&P index is up more than 10% for the year, unemployment is low, and retail sales are still growing.
It’s common for the economy to be giving mixed signals. It’s also unsurprising that making predictions about the future is about as accurate as “dart-throwing chimps.” So where are financial analysts and economists getting their information? A series of data points, known as the Leading Economic Indicators, are the most widely cited statistics that provide us with insight into where our economy is headed.
The Gwinnett Daily Post is a daily newspaper published in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and serves as the county's legal organ. The newspaper is owned by Times-Journal Inc. and prints Wednesday and Sunday each week.