Finance Glossary
Economic indicators
What is an economic indicator?
An economic indicator is a numerical data point that measures a certain aspect of the economic activity of a sector or a country.
Who produces economic indicators?
In general, macroeconomic indicators are produced by national statistical institutes, such as INSEE in France or the Federal Statistical Office in Germany. Central banks also produce statistics, particularly concerning their activities (monetary policy, exchange rate policy).
Eurostat compiles statistics from all European Union member countries and produces consolidated data. For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the main statistics relevant for economic analysis, except for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics, which are available on the Bureau of Economic Analysis website.
The 4 essential economic indicators?
Many indicators help describe the economic situation of a country or a geographic area. Among them, 4 indicators play an essential role:
GDP: The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the economic growth of a country. Learn more...
Labor market indicators: The active population, the employed active population, and the unemployed population. Learn more...
Inflation: Inflation is the sustained and general increase in the price level of goods and services consumed. Learn more...
Key interest rates: Key interest rates are among the most important monetary and financial indicators because they directly influence the behavior of economic agents and the economy as a whole. They are used by central banks. Learn more...