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Is a recession coming? Alan Greenspan says the answer is in men's underwear
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/26/economy/recession-underwear-alan-greenspan/index.html
New York (CNN Business)Former Federal Reserve head Alan Greenspan has a keen interest in men's underwear.
Not because he's preoccupied with the evolving fashions of nether garments — rather, he sees underwear sales as a key economic predictor.
Sounds weird, right? But it's just one of the many strange ways experts try to predict booms and busts.
"He once told me that ... the garment that is most private is male underpants, because nobody sees it except people in the locker room, and who cares?" longtime NPR correspondent Robert Krulwich said of Greenspan years ago. Those sales are usually stable, "so on those few occasions where it dips, that means that men are so pinched that they are deciding not to replace underpants."
The men's underwear index (yes, it exists) backs up Greenspan's theory: US sales of men's underwear fell significantly from 2007 to 2009, during the Great Recession, but gained steam again in 2010 as the economy recovered.
Analysts are always searching for signs that might predict a downturn. Just as a stampede of animals fleeing to higher ground can be an early sign of a tsunami, the same rules can be applied to the state of the economy.
New York (CNN Business)Former Federal Reserve head Alan Greenspan has a keen interest in men's underwear.
Not because he's preoccupied with the evolving fashions of nether garments — rather, he sees underwear sales as a key economic predictor.
Sounds weird, right? But it's just one of the many strange ways experts try to predict booms and busts.
"He once told me that ... the garment that is most private is male underpants, because nobody sees it except people in the locker room, and who cares?" longtime NPR correspondent Robert Krulwich said of Greenspan years ago. Those sales are usually stable, "so on those few occasions where it dips, that means that men are so pinched that they are deciding not to replace underpants."
The men's underwear index (yes, it exists) backs up Greenspan's theory: US sales of men's underwear fell significantly from 2007 to 2009, during the Great Recession, but gained steam again in 2010 as the economy recovered.
Analysts are always searching for signs that might predict a downturn. Just as a stampede of animals fleeing to higher ground can be an early sign of a tsunami, the same rules can be applied to the state of the economy.
I suppose women would see mens' underwear. But even good quality underwear will wear out and need to be replaced. I had a female classmate claim she tracks lipstick sales for the same reason.
But what they won't tell us is that the Fed is likely to intentionally cause a recession to control inflation. It will cause some Americans to buy less stuff for a short while.
28 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
He's probably been wearing depends for the last 30 yrs.
Guys, we wear our underwear until it's practically and almost quite literally hanging on by a thread. So maybe not the best indicator to use, LOL. 
