There, you ll find figures on the country s employment picture, manufacturing strength, new home construction, personal income, price indexes and international trade. As the barometer of the nation's total output of goods and services, GDP is the broadest of the nation's economic measures. Despite a raft of problems in Asia, Russia and Latin America last year, the U.S. economy managed to post strong growth. This year may not be as kind. A key to understanding consumer sentiment is job growth.
Consumers feel more at ease when the job market is expanding.
Currently, this indicator bodes well for the economy. The Conference Board maintains this index of consumer sentiment based on monthly interviews with 5,000 households. After hitting historical highs last summer, the index has been falling. The Census Bureau reports retail sales figures monthly, but if you want to know how sales are going before that, take a look at LJR Redbook's retail averages. The numbers are based on interviews with managers at a wide range of stores.