Forget the unemployment numbers and the government reports on the economy. There’s a better way to tell if the economy might be picking up steam…

Underwear.

Investors and business owners who are keeping a close eye on economic activity can find out extra information my viewing some oddball common sense indicators that economists say do have some merit. For instance, when men stop buying underwear, you can be sure that the economy is in a tailspin because that’s an item they cut back on during times of economic distress.

Waffles

Not into underwear? How about waffles? Economists tout a Waffle House Indicator as another way to gauge the economic news of a particular city. Since waffle houses are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in good times, anything other than a full menu service open every day is considered bad economic news. If houses in a local area are open, but serving a limited menu then the area might be under some economic distress. However, if they are closed, it is likely a disaster has hit.

Marine Recruitments

There have been multiple stories of people signing up for the service since they can’t find a job anywhere else. That may be good news for the marines, but bad news for the economy. These jobs are not as attractive as public service jobs and people take them knowing they are putting their lives at risk. Thus, the common sense analysis suggests that when business is brisk at a recruitment office that the economy is down. However, when advertisements on television are more brutal, it is the service’s way of saying: “We only want the tough ones.” That means they have enough volunteers and are able to be more selective. This means that there are quite a few people applying to be in the service and the economy is down.