For Immediate Release November 11, 1999
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas – The Decision Analyst Economic Index for October indicates that the U.S. economy is slowly losing steam. The Economic Index for the United States stood at 124 at the end of October, a gradual decline from 128 over the past four months. An Economic Index of 124 indicates a relatively strong economy, but it’s evident from the graph below that a consistent downtrend is in progress:

Despite the slight weakening in the U.S., its economy appears to be considerably more robust than the Canadian economy. The Economic Index for Canada at the end of October was 117 (compared to 124 for the U.S.).

"Whenever the Economic Index is greater than 105, it signals an expanding economy," explained Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst, Inc. "An index in the 95 to 105 range suggests a stagnant economy, and an index below 95 generally indicates economic contraction or recession."

The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on an Internet survey of more than 4,000 households balanced by gender, age and geography. The survey is premised on the assumption that a representative sample of U.S. adults reporting on business activity where they work, as well as personal financial data and trends, provides a snapshot of current U.S. economic activity. The survey is conducted

during the last ten days of each month over the Internet. The Economic Index is calculated from nine different economic measurements, using a sophisticated econometric model.

While the overall economy in the U.S. is doing well, not all regions of the U.S. are equally robust. The Decision Analyst Economic Index indicates that the Middle Atlantic, Pacific and East South Central divisions are trailing the rest of the U.S., based on a three-month moving average. The East North Central and New England areas report the strongest economic activity in the U.S. The Economic Index for the different regions of the U.S. is shown on the following page.

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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