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For Immediate Release February 04, 2005
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166
U.S. Economy Poised For Takeoff?
Decision Analyst’s Economic Index Up For Third Straight Month
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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