There are many unusual ways of calculating how the economy is doing, most measuring peripheral, and indulgent, aspects of our lives and acting as a metaphor for how free and open Americans are to spend money. There is the lipstick index, the Big Mac index, the waffle house index and many more.
So here are some of the ones we will watch and trend at VeraQuest, examining Americans’ comfort to splurge on the little extras in beauty, technology and food. On a monthly basis, starting in the summer of 2012…
It’s unclear if this spells good news or bad news for Obama in an election year. To me, some of these figures are encouraging like the 8 in 10 Americans who are eating out in restaurants/bars each month, with about 1 in 6 spending $200 or more per month. However, on the discouraging side, less than 1 in 3 who are contributing to a 401K each month. What’s the political spin – good news or bad news in the upcoming election when the economy is first and foremost on Americans’ mind?
Leave a Reply