{"id":64204,"date":"2025-09-03T15:49:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T13:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/?post_type=glossar&#038;p=64204"},"modified":"2025-12-29T09:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T08:28:19","slug":"economic-indicators-2","status":"publish","type":"glossar","link":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossar\/konjunkturindikatoren\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic indicators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If experts want to reliably assess how a country's economic situation is developing, it is worth taking a look at a large number of indicators. In this article, you will find out what economic indicators are and learn about a variety of practical examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Economic indicators Definition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The term \u201ceconomic indicators\" has the synonymous terms \"<strong>Macroeconomic key figures<\/strong>\" or \"<strong>Economic indicators<\/strong>\u201d. It is a collection of many indicators, each of which represents different information. They can help to assess the economic development of a country and compare it with other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The various indicators are published at regular intervals. The analysis of economic activity can be used for <strong>Investors <\/strong>be useful, for example, to achieve a higher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/diversification\/\">Diversification<\/a> and want to invest in other countries. In addition, economic indicators for <strong>Entrepreneurs, economic experts and politicians<\/strong> of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What economic indicators are there?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the objective of the analysis, some indicators are more suitable than others. Economic indicators are therefore divided into leading indicators, present indicators and lagging indicators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leading indicators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This type of indicator provides information about future economic development. Specific examples include stock levels, the share index or company profit expectations. These are comparatively speculative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/economic-indicators\/\">Economic indicators<\/a>, as unforeseen economic events can always occur. They therefore serve as a guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They often refer to the period of the next six months.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leading indicators are often based on the assessment of economic experts and business managers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Such indicators are particularly useful for recognizing turning points in the economic situation at an early stage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Presence indicators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike leading indicators, presence indicators provide information about the <strong>Current economic situation of a country<\/strong>. This results in reliable, non-speculative data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important presence indicator is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/gross-domestic-product\/\"><strong>Gross domestic product<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GDP provides information on how much a country has achieved economically in a given period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This shows the value of all products and services generated within the country during the period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This indicator of a country's economic performance therefore provides information on the development and economic upturn or downturn of a country.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lagging indicators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lagging indicators <strong>refer to the past<\/strong>. Such indicators can be analyzed according to a trend. They are important, for example, to assess the reliability of leading indicators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most important examples is the <strong>Unemployment rate<\/strong>. This indicator shows the proportion of unemployed people in the labor force. For the calculation, the number of unemployed is divided by the number of people in the labor force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the criteria for typical economic indicators?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all typical economic indicators are economic indicators. Certain criteria must be met for an economic indicator to be an economic indicator:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Statistics<\/strong>Scientific procedures must be taken into account. Data analysis uses samples to make assessments. The samples must be sufficiently large for the statements to be reliable.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Long-term nature<\/strong>Actual development can only be analyzed if data relates to a longer period of time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regularity<\/strong>The data must be up-to-date and collected regularly, for example monthly or quarterly. In this way, experts can monitor changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance<\/strong>The information provided by the indicators must be relevant to the economic development of a country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Economic indicators table with concrete examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following table shows some examples of economic indicators. It is important to note that the list is not exhaustive, but only represents a small selection of relevant indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Stock index<\/td><td>The share index is a key figure for representing the performance of a share.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stocks<\/td><td>This is the total quantity of physical goods such as merchandise, raw materials or other products that companies have in stock at any given time in order to meet demand.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/zew-index\/\">ZEW Index<\/a><\/td><td>The ZEW Index is a sentiment indicator published monthly by the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW).<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Capacity utilization<\/td><td>Capacity utilization or the degree of utilization describes the percentage of a company's total capacity that is used.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Savings rate of the population<\/td><td>The savings rate is the proportion of disposable income that is saved rather than consumed.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Inflation rate<\/td><td>This is the percentage change in the general price level for a basket of services and consumer goods over a certain period of time.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Insolvencies<\/td><td>The term describes the situation of a debtor who is unable to meet his payment obligations to a creditor. Insolvency describes an inability to pay.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Import prices<\/td><td>Import prices are the prices paid for goods imported from other countries.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Number of people in employment<\/td><td>In Germany, gainfully employed persons are persons aged 15 years or older who work at least one hour a week for pay.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Producer prices<\/td><td>Producer prices are the prices that manufacturers charge for their products.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Private consumer spending<\/td><td>This is the expenditure of private households and private non-profit institutions for the final consumption of services and goods.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Balance of trade<\/td><td>This refers to net exports, i.e. the difference between exports and imports of goods.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ifo Business Climate Index<\/td><td>The ifo Business Climate Index is a monthly sentiment indicator that reflects economic developments in Germany. Companies are surveyed for the data.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Significance of economic indicators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Data from the economic indicators are <strong>Companies and private households<\/strong> relevant. They provide information on wages, unemployment and consumption. Overall, the population can obtain a useful overview of the economic development of their own country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also the <strong>Politics <\/strong>benefits from the economic indicator data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Central banks such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/ezb\/\">ECB<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/glossary\/fed\/\">FED<\/a> and governments use some of the key figures to adjust their own behavior.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If economic data indicates a potential economic deterioration, the central bank can, for example, lower the key interest rate or buy government bonds. Governments can implement measures to reduce corporate taxes or increase government investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some economic indicators are <strong>Investors <\/strong>useful. They can provide indications of the performance of securities and should therefore be taken into account by investors. It is advisable to include a large number of leading indicators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: economic indicators explained simply<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Economic indicators or macroeconomic indicators are key figures that help to<strong> Economic development of a country<\/strong> to assess. Depending on their temporal orientation, the indicators can be divided into leading indicators, presence indicators and lagging indicators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every economic indicator is an economic indicator. Instead, some <strong>Criteria <\/strong>be fulfilled, such as a sufficient <strong>Statistics<\/strong>, <strong>Regular data collection <\/strong>at fixed times, a high <strong>Significance <\/strong>economic development and current developments in the <strong>Data collection over long periods of time<\/strong>. Important examples of economic indicators are gross domestic product, the unemployment rate and the inflation rate.<br>The importance of economic indicators extends across many different areas. <strong>Central banks <\/strong>and <strong>Governments <\/strong>can adapt their own laws, for example to counteract an emerging downturn. <strong>Private households <\/strong>and <strong>Company <\/strong>get an overview of the most important developments. <strong>Investors <\/strong>can use leading indicators to obtain clues about the performance of securities and adjust their own strategy if necessary.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-64204","glossar","type-glossar","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"blog_summary":"","blog_faq_schalter":"nein","faq_uberschrift":"","blog_faq_loop":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar\/64204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossar"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.captrader.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}