Economic Business Meeting

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

Productivity Can Help Pull Economies Through a Slowdown
Productivity may turn out to be the most important factor that will help countries pull through during these bad times. ... more

Latest Forecast

The Economic Week

The price of a barrel of crude oil was about $30 lower last week than only about a month ago. Gasoline is down about 25 cents per gallon. The stock market has rallied. Bond yields came down about 20 basis points. But the economy remains very weak....more

Economic Indicators

Economic Resources

U.S. Indicators	International
Consumer Confidence Index™ 0.9 pts U.S. Leading Index 0.7% Help-Wanted Online 3.9 million Employment Trends Index 0.9% CEO Confidence 1.0 pts	Australia 0.1% France 0.2% Germany 1.1% Japan 1.3% Korea 1.0% Mexico 0.2% Spain 0.4% U.K. 1.0% U.S. 0.7%
Monthly calendar

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