Economic indicators are the keys to unlocking invaluable information about market behavior. If interpreted accurately, they can lead to successful trading and speculating, profitable investing, and prosper policymaking. Getting the most out of these important signs, however, requires a firm grasp of what they signify and what they really mean.

In the newly revised Third Edition of Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis, expert Evelina Tainer updates you on the information necessary to understand and effectively use a wide arange of essential economic measurements.

Covering all the relevant details of the major economic indicators regulary reported by public and private agencies - including the consumer price index, the employment situation, housing starts, and retail sales - this comprehensive resource provides full descriptions of indicators and the nuances associated with each of them; examines their impact on the direction of interest rates, exchange rates, and the stock market; and explains how and why the market reacts to the information gleaned from these indicators. Most importantly, this third edition offers pracical guidelines for gearing your investment strategies to these ever-changing economic statistics.

Written in clear, nontechnical terms and clearly organized by sectors of the economy - such as consumer, investment, and inflation - this accessible guide :

* Takes a close look at gross domestic product, with an overview of the macroeconomic framework, using the standard national income accounting methodology

* Makes sense of foreign exchange market indicators as well as indicators that will help you understand the behavior of domestic bond and equity markets

* Compares and contrasts all measures of inflation, and makes key distinctions between inflation and makes key distinctions between inflation in the market for goods, services, and labor

* Uncovers hidden monthly and quarterly government spending indicators

* Describes key indicators produced by the Federal Reserve - such as the monetary aggregates, the Beige Book, and the flow of funds - and provides a brief overview of how monetary policy is implemented.



Cutting through the ambiguity that often surrounds coverage of economic indicators in the financial media, Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis, third edition is essential reading for anyone looking to make sense of today's vital economic figures.



About the author:

Evaline M. Tainer is Chief Economist at Econoday, a California-based firm that specializes in providing economic information to corporate and individual investment clients. Previously chief economist at Carr Futures and president of Simply Economics, Tainer has taught economics and finance at the University of Illinois, Nothwestern University, and other Chicago-area universities. She has written about economics and finance for numerous national magazines and newspapers.