Decision Analyst’s Economic Index U.S. Census Divisions August 2016

Arlington, Texas—The U.S. Census Divisions have increased in the past 12 months. The West North Central Division had the highest score of all the Census Divisions. It registered an Index score of 114 for August 2016; that is an increase of 6 points from August 2015. The East South Central Division had the lowest Index score, a 105 for August 2016; that is an increase of 5 points from August 2015.

August 2016 US Census Divisions Economic Index

 
United States Economic Index

The Decision Analyst U.S. Economic Index registered 110 in August 2016, a 4-point increase from August 2015. This increase in the Economic Index signals continued U.S. economic growth for the rest of 2016, and it might indicate an uptick in the pace of U.S. growth. After 3 consecutive quarters of extremely slow economic expansion (about 1% annualized rate of growth), the U.S. economy certainly deserves some happy news. The Economic Index tends to lead U.S. economic activity by 6 to 12 months. Below is the past-10-year history of the U.S. Economic Index.

August 2016 US Economic Index

 

“The overall trend of the U.S. Economic Index over the past year suggests that the fall of 2016 will likely show an improved rate of economic growth,” said Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst. “All of the negative feelings and pessimism over presidential candidates Clinton and Trump do not appear to be negatively affecting the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy is certainly facing major headwinds from slower growth among its major trading partners, such as Canada, the European Union, Japan, and China. The failure of corporate America to adequately invest in new equipment, new products, new people, and new facilities is a major continuing drag on the U.S. economy, but we may be reaching the point that corporate investment spending will have to expand (buildings and equipment don’t last forever). Slow economic growth itself over the last two years has forced the private and public sectors to become more efficient, and it may be time for these ongoing improvements to become evident in faster economic growth,” said Thomas. “More normal interest rates would also be a positive for the U.S. economy. Higher interest rates would help reduce corporate financial engineering and would reduce speculative investments in marginal opportunities.”

Index History

The division-by-division results are presented in the graphs below. Remember, the Census Division graphs portray 3-month moving averages.

August 2016 New England Census Division
 

August 2016 Middle Atlantic Census Division
 

August 2016 East North Central Census Division
 

August 2016 West North Central Census Division
 

August 2016 South Atlantic Census Division
 

August 2016 East South Central Census Division
 

August 2016 West South Central Census Division
 

August 2016 Mountain Census Division
 

August 2016 Pacific Census Division
 

*Census Division Three-Month Moving Average

The Index numbers for the census divisions are three-month moving averages to smooth out fluctuations due to smaller sample sizes. The reported Index number averages the current month with the two previous months.

 
Methodology

The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on a monthly online survey of several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography. The scientific survey is conducted in the last 10 days of each month. The Economic Index is calculated from 9 different economic measurements using a sophisticated econometric model. The result is a snapshot of coming economic activity in each country surveyed, as seen through the eyes of representative consumers living in the respective countries.

Decision Analyst conducts its concurrent economic surveys each month in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, the Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. Whenever the Decision Analyst Economic Index is greater than 110, it tends to signal an expanding economy. An Index value of 90 to 110 suggests a no-growth or slow-growth economy, and near or below 90 generally indicates economic contraction. These guidelines vary by country, however.

About Decision Analyst

Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com) is a global marketing research and analytical consulting firm specializing in strategy research, new product development, advertising testing, and advanced modeling for marketing decision optimization. For over 35 years, the firm has delivered competitive advantage to clients throughout the world in consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, retail, technology, medical, and automotive industries.

Media Contact

Cristi Allen
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Email: callen@decisionanalyst.com
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