Economic Indicators and Data

Economic indicators, sometimes called business indicators or business cycle indicators, are statistical measures of economic activity. In the United States some 250 economic indicators are regularly collected and published, most on a monthly basis, a few on a quarterly basis. These indicators are primarily used to predict the future performance of the economy as a whole, although they are also used to forecast the performance of certain economic segments, specific companies, and stocks. Professional brokers and individual investors alike look to such economic data to guide their investment practices. Investing based on these statistics transforms their application into a combination of science, gambling, and an art form all its own. The links included herein relate specifically to economic data and indicators.