Usually the economic environment is analyzed with reference to the following key economic indicators; employment, consumer price index, housing starts, auto sales, weekly unemployment claims, real GNP, industrial production, personal income, savings rate, capacity utilization, productivity, money supply, retail sales, inventories, and durable goods orders. Information on these indicators is available from government sources. In relation to bargain holidays and / or package holidays, these indicators are adequate for short-run analysis and decision making because, by and large, they track developments over the business cycle reasonably well.
However, companies that try to base strategic plans on these indicators alone can run into serious trouble. Deficiencies in the data prove most dangerous when the government moves to take a more interventionist role in the economy. Further, when the ability of statistical agencies to respond has been hampered by unprecedented budget stringency, rapid changes in the structure of the economy cause a gradual deterioration in the quality of many of the economic statistics that the government publishes.