Leading Indicators Quotes

The kingdom of Bhutan replaced standard economic measures with measures of happiness as long ago as 1972. Yet Bhutan’s G.D.P. per head is still one of the lowest in the world, life expectancy is relatively low and infant mortality high, so it is easy to see why the king would not want anyone to mention the economy.

No single number has become more central to society in the past 50 years” than gross domestic product.

It was an amazing childhood, despite what you might think about black struggle and poor neighbourhoods and the ghetto. My mother was an educated, budding linguist who really inspired us. Some of the leading indicators of success in the world have to do with how many books are in the house when you're a kid.

None of today’s leading indicators existed a century ago. They were invented to measure the economies of the industrial nation-states of the mid-20th Century… The 21st Century, however, is proving more difficult to measure.

The reality is that business and investment spending are the true leading indicators of the economy and the stock market. If you want to know where the stock market is headed, forget about consumer spending and retail sales figures. Look to business spending, price inflation, interest rates, and productivity gains.

The so-called leading [economic] indicators no longer answer the most important questions people are raising about how they live.

Politics is a leading indicator.

GDP has effectively become a proxy for national success or failure. It has the power to decide elections, overthrow governments, and launch popular movements.