Google also has recognised this resemblence between catching the flu and economic recession and has introduced an economic barometer. By paying attention to the nature of search words (new car is positive but occasion negative, vacation is good but golf vacation is better ..) they show the trend how people are feeling.

I suspect that this will work pretty good. The terms people use are very much dependent on how they feel at that moment so this barometer will say something about how the general population is feeling (or better, how the feeling changes over time). Sometimes they can be very mistaken of course (many people search for Ferrari’s without being able to buy them anyhow. I sometimes search for beautiful destinations for vacations I know I will not make. A little bit of dreaming is nice ..). But in general this really might work.

Looks like the recession wont be ending any time soon, now that makes me feeling depressed …