subject: Men's Underwear Sales—The Barometer of The Economic Climate [print this page] Men's Underwear SalesThe Barometer of The Economic Climate
Folks, Let's face it! Societies all across the globe continue to struggle in a weary economic climate. With little assurances of when, or if, the economy will ever stabilize many have remained hopeful for a quick recovery. Truly, the aftermath of such tragic economic events rocked the confidences of many and have impacted the fundamental security of our economic future. From the down fall of the real estate market to a nation-wide credit fiasco, people and businesses alike found themselves in unfortunate circumstances.
For many, this sobering time period has led to a critical reevaluation over the events of the past decade. Blindly navigating through a booming real estate market, following the assurances of banks and large businesses, there seemed to be no end to the windfall created by a quickly growing economy. However, as recently discovered, specific laws governing life were tested and proven true again; what goes up must come down!
The Underwear Prophecy
Indeed, it was really hard to imagine as home prices continued to escalate that our nation soon would be faced with one of the worst economic time periods in history. Trying to make sense of the events leading up to the economic downfall, one has to wonder if there were any visible signs available to prepare us for the economic trauma that lay ahead. If so, would these same indicators also aid us today in providing promise and hope for a better future? Well, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan seems to thinks so!
In fact, Greenspan makes several inferences in his book "Age of Turbulance", of a correlation between men's underwear sales and indentifying fluctuations in our economic environment. Meaning, when men are feeling the financial pinch they are less likely to splurge on new underwear. Thankfully, when the economy is strong and bubbling, men opt to change out those old pairs of undies for a brand set of fresh ones. So, it should come as no surprise that to predict a recovery in our financial world, economists such as Alan Greenspan, look to men's underwear sales. So, how financially confident are men today?
The Verdict
The jury is still out on this one! While we are hopeful that men are not walking around with those old pair of undies, underwear sales have not seen any remarkable increase since its dramatic decrease of approximately 2.3% in 2009. However, men's underwear stores are hopeful that a stabilized economy is close on the horizon. Reportedly, underwear sales have seen a leveling off over the past year. Are men becoming more confident in our economy, or are they just at that critical point where the purchase of new pair of underwear is a necessity; not a choice.
Letting history be our guide, if men's underwear sales really serve as an indicator for our economic environment, then good change might be close at hand. Truly, keep an eye on underwear sales. While it may not be the catalyst decision maker in your financial affairs, it may assist in being a barometer in evaluating the economic environment!
