Comments on: Business journalists need to keep an eye on lagging indicators http://businessjournalism.org/2010/04/08/business-journalists-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-lagging-indicators/ Reynolds Center helps journalists Cover Business Better Free training, workshops, Webinars Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism Wed, 23 May 2012 10:21:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: The Reynolds Network of Business Journalism Chairs : BusinessJournalism.org Reynolds Center for Business Journalism http://businessjournalism.org/2010/04/08/business-journalists-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-lagging-indicators/comment-page-1/#comment-5287 The Reynolds Network of Business Journalism Chairs : BusinessJournalism.org Reynolds Center for Business Journalism Tue, 11 May 2010 23:43:44 +0000 http://businessjournalism.org/?p=10667#comment-5287 [...] Business journalists need to keep an eye on lagging indicators [...] [...] Business journalists need to keep an eye on lagging indicators [...]

]]> By: Steve Wildstrom http://businessjournalism.org/2010/04/08/business-journalists-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-lagging-indicators/comment-page-1/#comment-3969 Steve Wildstrom Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:03:20 +0000 http://businessjournalism.org/?p=10667#comment-3969 You don't mean lagging indicators, you mean areas or sectors that are lagging. "Lagging indicator" is a technical term that describes economic time series whose performance tends to lag behind actual economic behavior at peaks, troughs, or both. Payroll employment is a concurrent indicator. The unemployment rate is a lagging indicator. But you are right about the basic point. Business journalists should know a lot more about business cycles. There are many typical behaviors, such as the unemployment rate staying high long after recovery has begun that are treated as remarkable new events in every cycle because of the historical ignorance of business journalists and their editors. You don’t mean lagging indicators, you mean areas or sectors that are lagging. “Lagging indicator” is a technical term that describes economic time series whose performance tends to lag behind actual economic behavior at peaks, troughs, or both. Payroll employment is a concurrent indicator. The unemployment rate is a lagging indicator.

But you are right about the basic point. Business journalists should know a lot more about business cycles. There are many typical behaviors, such as the unemployment rate staying high long after recovery has begun that are treated as remarkable new events in every cycle because of the historical ignorance of business journalists and their editors.

]]>