Home | Press Room | Press Release Archives | January 2005 Economic Index

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For Immediate Release February 04, 2005
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas – After struggling to gain traction for most of 2004, prospects for the economy appear to be looking up in 2005; that's according to Decision Analyst's latest U.S. Economic Index numbers. The overall Index hit 112 in January, the third straight monthly gain.

"At long last, confidence in the economy appears to be building some momentum," said Jerry W. Thomas, President and CEO of Decision Analyst, a marketing research and marketing consulting firm. "The Index is now trending towards strong economic expansion, and it’s slightly above where it was this time last year."

The January Economic Index was driven higher by a surge in consumer purchase intent (up 14 percent over December) and a strong increase in corporate hiring confidence (now at a four-year high). Those rises offset a moderate deterioration in prices and a slight weakening in business activity.

"Consumer confidence is critical to the economy's fortunes," Thomas said. "A sustained spending push by consumers will have a significant positive impact on almost all areas of the economy."

Methodology

The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on a monthly Internet survey of several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography. The survey is conducted during the last 10 days of each month, and the Index is immediately calculated from nine different economic measurements, using a sophisticated econometric model. The result is a snapshot of current U.S. economic activity, as seen through the eyes of representative consumers. Decision Analyst also conducts concurrent economic surveys in Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Mexico and Australia. 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 stagnant economy, and below 100 generally indicates economic contraction. These guidelines vary by country, however.

About Decision Analyst

Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com) is a leading marketing research and marketing consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy research, new product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision optimization. The firm delivers competitive advantage to clients throughout the world in the consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, retail, high technology, medical and pharmaceutical, utilities, and e-commerce industries. Decision Analyst operates American Consumer Opinion® Online, one of the world’s largest Internet consumer opinion panels, with more than 3.5 million participants.

For additional information contact:
Cristi Allen
Publicity
Email: callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 1.800.ANALYSIS (262.5974)
Address: 604 Avenue H East
Arlington, TX 76011

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