Think the best way to judge the health of the economy is by looking at the standard issue government reports? Guess again...
A recent Bloomberg Businessweek article highlighted several alternative "metrics" for measuring the economy in "real-time" including;
- Diesel Fuel Sales from 7,000 truck stops across the country
- Train shipments of waste and scrap materials
- Electrical usage by commercial users
- Use of Temporary Workers
Courtesy of Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index
The Pulse of Commerce Index (PCI), which measures the diesel fuel sales referenced above was up 3.1% in May from April. This is the largest monthly increase since February of 1999.
