Economic Conditions

• Raw Data (government sources)
• Analysis (weekly periodicals)

Trends in the economy at large, both domestic and global, affect all industry sectors and businesses to some degree. A variety of economic indicators and raw data are put out by the federal government. See Stat USA, a database to which the library subscribes, for the most recent economic releases.

The database Viewswire is noted for its foreign economic and marketing analysis, but it also covers the United States.

Browsing weekly periodicals is a good way to monitor what economists and analysts are saying. Consider looking at the current issues of Business Week, Fortune, or the Economist on a regular basis. The investment service Value Line offers its own analysis of economic ups and downs each week. Trends & Projections offers analysis by the publisher Standard & Poor's.