Economy
What does a PMI diffusion index actually measure?
Breadth, not magnitude — a diffusion index counts how many firms report improvement, which is why 50 is a line, not a level.
Author
Rekha Patel
Rekha Patel follows the seasonal work behind agriculture, farm technology, and the products that eventually reach a shelf.
Articles by Rekha Patel
Economy
What does a yield curve inversion actually signal?
Every U.S. recession since the 1970s was preceded by an inversion — with lags of months to years and documented false positives elsewhere.
Economy
How is the CPI actually measured?
A fixed basket, chained updating, and a substitution correction — the CPI's machinery, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics documents it.
Economy
How do GDP nowcasting models work?
Nowcasts combine early-release data into a current-quarter estimate before the official number exists — with published error rates worth reading.