FedEx, the Baltic Dry Index, & Prognostication

Just in case you did not know, here are two sources of very important information used by those in the know. The Federal Reserve Bank keeps very close tabs on activity levels at FedEx as a way to measure what firms are doing, how much, and any changes in behaviour in various sectors of the economy. Similarly, by tracking activity on the Baltic Exchange Dry Index, known as Baltic Dry or BDI for short, analysts can get a sense of "when the world economies are starting to perk up and when trade conditions are really starting to ease.". Two other sources of economic and political analysis are (unfortunately, you have to subscribe to them) The Economist magazine's Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) and International Currency Review.