Sometimes you can miss the forest for the trees and sometimes the trees indicate the health of the forest. Here are some unusual economic indicators predicting whether the economy is turning around:
Hemline/Skirt Length Indicator
The Boston Snow Indicator
Super Bowl Indicator
Billboard Top 100 Indicator
Lipstick Indicator/Lipstick Effect
Harvard MBA Indicator
January Effect
Aspirin Count Indicator
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover
Pallet/Cardboard Box Indicator
The Big Mac Index
http://www.cnbc.com/id/29257460Cocoa commodity prices
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20081125172041.aspxDiamond prices
Champagne sales
http://blogs.dailypennsylvanian.com/thebottomline/2009/03/30/secret-economic-indicators/comment-page-1/Men's underwear sales
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7305537&page=1Forklift sales
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/forklifts-point-to-recovery-unusual-economic-indicators-are-proving-popular-as-official-figures-falter-1467030.html