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For Immediate Release
August 4, 2010
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas—The Decision Analyst Economic Index for the U.S. registered 94 in July 2010, a one-point decline from 95 in June 2010. Since the Decision Analyst Economic Index tends to foreshadow the U.S. economy by six to 12 months, it continues to indicate that economic growth will be sluggish for the remaining months of 2010 and into the first half of 2011. Below is the U.S. Economic Index for the past three years.

“The U.S. Economic Index has been essentially flat for the past 10 months,” said Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst. “This suggests that economic growth in coming months will range from 0% to 2% or so, on average. It’s difficult to see any forces or variables that might produce strong economic growth in the next year. Consumers and small businesses in the U.S. are constrained by lack of credit and lack of jobs. Business investment will be trending up because of the length of this downturn (machines wear out and must be replaced), but that alone will not be sufficient to stimulate strong economic growth. Another drag on the economy will be cutbacks in spending by counties, school districts, cities, and states over the next two years,” said Thomas. “On balance, the U.S. economy should stay on the plus side, but a modest double-dip is possible. High unemployment will remain a national problem for the foreseeable future.”

International Index

The following table compares the U.S. Economic Index to Decision Analyst’s Economic Indices in other countries. China and Brazil (followed by India) have the highest scores, while France and Spain have the two lowest scores. (See table on below.)

 

Census Divisions

The Pacific and Mountain Divisions appear to be doing worse than the rest of the country, along with the southeastern U.S. (See map below.)

 

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 American Consumer Opinion® Online—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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