For Immediate Release September 30, 2004
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas – Americans see few signs of an impending economic breakout; that’s according to the September data from Decision Analyst’s U.S. Economic Index. The overall Index declined a single point for the second month in a row, to hit 112, little better than its position twelve months ago (when the Index stood at 110).

“The best that can be said right now is that the Index is in a slight decline,” said Jerry W. Thomas, President and CEO of Decision Analyst, a marketing research and marketing consulting firm. “Nonetheless, it’s pretty clear most Americans are pessimistic about the economy in the short-term.”

The September Economic Index saw little change in most categories, with five of the nine Index components declining and four slightly up. The most noticeable movement was in consumer confidence, with future purchasing intent falling and consumers reporting decline in their credit card borrowing.

“The two most visible measures of confidence – the stock markets and consumers – are both suffering,” Thomas says. “We’ve been talking about uncertainty regarding gasoline prices and the Middle East for months now, but it’s clear uncertainty remains the dominant mood for many Americans.”

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, Inc. 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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