Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN Business’ Nightcap newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free, here.
New York
CNN Business
—
The economy of the 2020s is a tough one to read. Like, are we in a recession? Technically, no, but “technically” is carrying a lot of weight there. Economists look to several indicators — GDP growth, employment, bond yields, wages, etc — to determine the answer.
Of course, there are other, less scientific but more fun ways to gauge economic health. Famously, there’s the Lipstick Index, which suggests lipstick sales surge in lean times because it’s an inexpensive indulgence that makes people happy. Alan Greenspan put forward the Men’s Underwear Index, demonstrating that sales of boxers and briefs plummeted from 2007 to 2009, during the Great Recession, before picking back…
