For Immediate Release July 3, 2007
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas – Decision Analyst’s U.S. Economic Index rose from 105 in May to 109 in late June 2007, as shown in the graph below. The Economic Index is based on survey data from the last 10 days of June, and indicates that the downtrend in the U.S. economy over the past seven months may have bottomed out.

“The recent declines in gasoline prices appear to be the major factor in the uptick of the Economic Index in June,” said Jerry W. Thomas, president/CEO of Decision Analyst. “The consumer’s optimism may be short lived if oil prices continue to rise and result in higher gasoline prices. It’s still too early to tell if this is a definite turning point. Economic growth in the U.S. for the second quarter ending in June is likely to be less than one percent, and the economy remains at risk of recession.”

Among the components that make up the Economic Index, the indicators that appear to be driving the Economic Index upward are optimism about the “prices paid for goods and services” (up 14 points), “business activities” (up 9 points), and “consumer purchase intent” (up 6 points).

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 typically conducted between the 20th and 27th of each month. The Index is 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 Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, 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 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-based consumer-opinion panels, with more than seven million members.

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

Visit our Logos & Images page for photographs and logos, if needed.