Sometimes journalists have a tendency to be too literal.  We want to ask a question and we want the response to be a quote that is without ambiguity.  One that's fills in some of the space between our anecdotes.  But other times, we need tools that work like a periscope, a device that allows us to not look at the object directly but through a helpful lens.  Such periscopes for analyzing the economy are indirect indicators.

Monday's (5 Dec. 2005) NYTimes' Business Section was loaded with references to such indicators that journos could keep in mind when looking for devices to show and explain what's happening.  Check out "What's Ahead: Blue Skies, or More Forecasts of Them?"   Be sure to click on the link "Graphic: Indicators From Everyday Life"

Another indirector was mentined Sunday on National Public Radio in "Economic Signs Remain Strong"  There, an economist said he tracks changes in the "titanium dioxide" data, the compound is used in all white paint and reflects manufacturing production.