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Economics

Under the direction of chief economist Bart van Ark, the Economics Department produces in-depth, objective and global research, analysis, forecasts, and indicators.

From the Chief Economist

Bart van Ark

A Slight Deepening of the Recessionary Forecast
The past month’s volatility in financial markets and the freezing up of credit willlead to a further deepening of output contraction during the next six to nine months.Based on advance estimates by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of a contractionof 0.3 percent in real GDPduring the third quarter, we forecast a further contractionof 1.9 percent in the final quarter of this year, a minus 1.6 percent growth rate inthe first quarter of 2009, and a minus 1 percent rate in the second quarter. We maysee the economy return to positive growth territory by the second half of next year. ... more

Latest Forecast

The Economic Week

The financial markets continued to roil and the credit markets are not back to normal operations. The Treasury Department outlined a revised plan to keep the markets liquid. That is, there are funds available for potential borrowers. But given mou...more

Economic Indicators

Economic Resources

U.S. Indicators	International
Consumer Confidence Index™ 23.4 pts U.S. Leading Index 0.8% Help-Wanted Online 20,800 Employment Trends Index 1.8% CEO Confidence 1.0 pts	Australia 0.4% France 0.6% Germany 1.1% Japan 1.0% Korea 0.7% Mexico 0.9% Spain 0.2% U.K. 1.1% U.S. 0.8%
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Total Economy Database
Annual GDP, population, employment, hours and productivity for 125 countries.

Business Cycle Indicators
The composite indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal changes in the business cycle.

Research Reports

Growing Beyond Oil: Productivity, Performance, and Progress in the Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council
This report is part of a major research program on productivity, performance and progress in the Gulf Cooperation Council region which The Conference Board is running in conjunction with Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC).

Performance 2008: Productivity, Employment, and Growth in the World's Economies
This report is the first comprehensive overview of new data on productivity, growth, and employment trends through 2007 based on The Conference Board's and the Groningen Growth and Development Centre's Total Economy Database.

More Economic Research