Définition
An instrument used to measure an economic activity (or set of activities) and to provide periodic tracking of economic trends, generally at frequencies of more than once a year, such as actual GNP, industrial output, price levels, unemployment rate, household confidence index, etc.
Statistics allowing to follow an economic evolution according a short term, generally infra-annual periodicity. There are cyclical indicators allowing to follow the evolution:
- economic activity, such the monthly industrial production index (IPI) and the quarterly GDP in volume;
- evolution of prices, such the consumer price index (GPI), the producer price indices;
- employment and the unemployment;
- opinion of actors, such household confidence index.