Introduction and Overview

The Economy Today introduces you to the statistical indicators that portray our nation's business climate and economic outlook. After completing the course you will know how to obtain and analyze the web-available reports churned out by our government's data mill and use them to interpret the information presented on Nightly Business Report.

 Hear the Introduction.

See and Hear the Introduction.

Course Description and Contents

Course Outline

Module Description and Activities

Table of Contents

Course Outline

The Economy Today consists of three parts. Each part analyzes a key facet of the economy, such as costs and inflation, by presenting the relevant economic indicators (one to a module) and establishing a coherent relationship among them. After completing each part you will know how to employ all the key indicators for a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Typical Module will include:

	Link to text to READ the important information.
	Link to audio to HEAR the important information.
	Link to video to SEE the important information.
	Link to more detailed information.
	Directions that show you how to obtain the latest business and economic data from the Web.
	Interactive charts (graphs) that place today's data in historical context together with a discussion that explains the context.
	Link to Flash presentations for more in-depth discussion, examples, and explanations of material.
	Reflective questions. The summary modules offer a short quiz for you to review what you've learned.

Note: The above icons are not links in this table. You will find links to many of these resources, however, at the bottom of every module's main screen.

Part I: Costs and Inflation

Module 1. Gross Domestic Product
Module 2. Industrial Production & Capacity Utilization
Module 3. Purchasing Manager's Index
Module 4. Labor Productivity & Unit Labor Costs
Module 5. Producer Prices
Module 6. Part 1 Summary

Part II: Consumer Demand

Module 7.   Consumer Price Index
Module 8.   Employment Data
Module 9.   Personal Income
Module 10. Consumer Confidence
Module 11. New-Vehicle Sales
Module 12. Consumer Credit
Module 13. Housing Starts
Module 14. Home Sales
Module 15. Retail Sales
Module 16. Part 2 Summary

Part III: Other Topics

Module 17. The Index of Leading Economic Indicators
Module 18. Inventories
Module 19. Business Capital Expenditures
Module 20. International Data
Module 21. Part 3 Summary

Part IV: General Summary

Economic Indicator Reference

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