Economics 101 Economic Indicators

Commodities A basic item that is fungible (interchangeable) *Milk by the gallon *Gas by the gallon *Oil by the barrel *Gold by the ounce

Gross domestic product * the total dollar value of all final goods and services produced in the United States in a year

Unemployment rate number of people who are without work and are actively seeking work Measures “joblessness”

Inflation rate Measures the rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time

Stock market averages Dow Jones Industrials Averages the stock prices of 30 large publicly-owned American companies during a standard trading session in the stock market AT&T, McDonalds, General Electric, Walmart, Exxon-Mobile…

prime rate the lowest rate of interest at which money may be borrowed commercially. Set by the Federal Reserve (FED) The higher the federal funds rate, the more expensive it is to borrow money, 

National debt Cumulative amount owed by the United States federal government  Increases with annual deficit spending