It was suggested that I write an article about the Delta Dental annual report about the average Tooth Fairy payout decreasing in 2023. And I just couldn’t figure out anything to say about it.
The a-ha moment I got from USA Today article discussing the report is that people actually try to extrapolate serious economic thoughts from this poll. A report that even Delta Dental says is just a way to raise awareness about oral health.
What other mundane data are so-called economic experts using to draw conclusions about the health of the economy?
The Bacon Indicator: Using the consumption of the precious pork product to tell if the economy is sizzling.
The Super Bowl Indicator: Sad news for 2024. And potentially 2025, and 2026, and so on. Patrick Ma-homie, Taylor Swift, and the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs won the big game again, so this indicator suggests a down market year ahead.
The Lipstick Index: Small luxuries make us happy during tough times, so of course, growth in lipstick sales means we are in a recession – or will be soon.
The Men’s Underwear Index: Men are more likely to replace their underwear when the economy is good? In my experience, men only replace their underwear when their wives/girlfriends/partners ridicule them into it.
The Skyscraper index: This one’s for you, Dad (he calls it the Crane index, but it’s the same). The idea is that record breaking skyscraper builds coincide with irrational exuberance in the real estate market. Therefore, when the building starts, we are on top of a bubble, and by the time it finishes, the bubble will be burst. And there will be a lot of empty office space.
The Big Mac Index: For all you active currency traders (of whom I personally know none). According to this index, the price of a Big Mac can reveal whether a currency is overvalued or undervalued. I guess if you are considering an international relocation, this may be helpful.
