For Immediate Release
April 5, 2010
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166

Arlington, Texas—Decision Analyst’s U.S. Economic Index registered 95 in March 2010, the same as February, while the Index for Germany increased from 97 in February to 99 in March. However, amid massive debt, Italy has dropped from 95 in February to 91 in March, and Spain has dropped from 88 in February to 86 in March. Since the Decision Analyst Economic Indices tend to lead the economy by six to 12 months, it continues to predict a gradually improving of global economy during 2010, albeit with concerns about Spain who appears to be on a decline. Below are the International Economic Indices for the past three years.

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*Data collection for China began in October 2007.

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“The good news is that the U.S. economy is gradually getting better. However, the recovery remains tentative and fragile. Long-term unemployment and under-employment remain massive national problems that will continue to exert downward pressure on the economic recovery,” said Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst. “The economy continues to struggle with lack of credit and lack of confidence, but the continued uptrend in U.S. stock markets is helping. Much of the positive economic news is resulting from unprecedented assistance from the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, and it remains to be seen if the economy can grow once the stimulus is diminished.

“Risks to the global financial system remain. Several European countries, the U.S., and Japan all face huge debt burdens, and China is a bubble waiting to pop,” said Thomas. “It is the risk of further financial crises that poses the greatest threat to the U.S. and the world economy.”

Three-Month Moving Average

The Index numbers for Mexico, Germany, Spain, Australia, Argentina and China are a three-month moving average to smooth out month-to-month fluctuations. The reported Index number averages the current month with the two previous months.

Methodology

The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on a monthly Internet survey of several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography. The online survey is conducted the last 10 days of each month. The Economic Index is calculated from nine different economic measurements using a sophisticated econometric model. The result is a snapshot of current 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, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, 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 near or below 100 generally indicates economic contraction. These guidelines vary by country, however.

About Decision Analyst

Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com) is a leading global marketing research and analytical consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy research, new product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision optimization. The 32-year-old firm delivers competitive advantage to clients throughout the world in the consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, retail, technology, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, Decision Analyst owns and operates the American Consumer Opinion® Online panel—one of the largest consumer opinion panels in the world—with more than eight million members.

For additional information contact:
Cristi Allen
Publicity
Email: callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 1-800-ANALYSIS (262-5974) or 1-817-640-6166
Address: 604 Avenue H East
Arlington, TX 76011

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