9 Numbers That'll Tell You How the Economy's Really Doing

Investors today have to keep track of more information than ever to make smart decisions. But no one has time to look at every piece of news that could affect their investments, so it's important to know which information is the most valuable.

We've whittled the vast universe of economic data down to these nine key numbers that will give you a quick handle on the health of the economy. One thing to remember with all of these numbers is that from month to month, they'll often have big swings. Think of them as part of an ongoing pattern from which you can draw conclusions about trends and changing conditions. Don't let any single number in any single month influence your views on the economy too much, but use them to help inform and guide your personal investment decisions.

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