8. Producer Price Index
9. Durable Goods Order
10. Industrial production
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11. Capacity utilization
12. Survey of Consumer Confidence.
Your Term Paper must contain the following:
1. Define the six economic indicators you have chosen and discuss how this data is
obtained and calculated. (A useful book on indicators is on reserve in the library. You
can also visit “Investopedia” on the internet)
2. Collect the latest data on these indicators as they become available. Data for some
indicators is released monthly and for others it is released quarterly. A total of three data
points for every indicator is required. For example, three months of the latest
unemployment data, three months of CPI and three recent quarters of GDP.
3. Draw a time series graph that shows the monthly or quarterly data you
collected. Compare the current level or rate (data from this semester) to the past levels
(past 2 quarters or past three months). We are trying to see the data trend in the last
three months/quarters
4. Collect the articles/news items on these statistics from the Wall Street Journal. Highlight
the points you consider are important for your analysis. You need a minimum of 12
articles (two for each indicator) from the Wall Street Journal that discuss these
indicators. You may use more articles for a better and comprehensive analysis.
5. Summarize and discuss the trend that you observed for each of the indicators. For
example, if the GDP is rising, why did the GDP rise (or fall) during the past three
quarters? If unemployment numbers show an upward trend during the last three
months, what factors are causing that? You should choose those WSJ articles which
are relevant and which provide you with an economic analysis of your chosen
indicators.
6. In the conclusion of your paper, discuss how all these indicators, together, impacted the
economy and what your analysis predicts will be the state of the U.S. economy in the
next 6 months.
