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For Immediate Release March 04, 2005
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166
Consumer Confidence In U.S. Economy Weakens In February:
Decision Analyst’s Economic Index Slips Back
Arlington, Texas – American consumers appear undecided about prospects for
the economy in 2005; that’s according to Decision Analyst’s latest
U.S. Economic Index numbers. Just one month after a substantial rise in
confidence, consumers flipped back to pessimism in February, pushing the
overall Index back down to 111 and halting a strong run of monthly gains.
“After three straight months of expansion, it’s
disappointing to see the Index softening in February,” said Jerry W.
Thomas, President and CEO of Decision Analyst, a marketing research and
marketing consulting firm. “While it could just be a brief pause on the
way to stronger growth, it’s clear that confidence remains
fragile.”
The positives from the February Economic Index – easing price concerns
and recovering business activity – were offset by a slump in consumer
purchase intent (down nine percent over January) and a worrying decline in
corporate hiring trends.
“Consumer confidence remains central to the economy’s
fortunes,” Thomas said. “Without strong spending by consumers, the
rest of the economy will struggle to break out of its modest recovery.”
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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