This paper finds that the Economic Discomfort Index (aka "Misery Index"), defined by Arthur Okun as the sum of the unemployment rate plus the annual rate of inflation, provides a rough and read explanation of economic malaise as measured by the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment. A more precise explanation of Consumer Sentiment includes the rate of change in unemployment, the rate of change in the S&P and the growth rate of real GDP; but dummies indicating Presidents insignificant. Studying the determinants of Consumer Sentiments helps validate the procedure invoked by Okun for constructing his Economic Discomfort Index.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
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