Inflation. Deflation. HyperInflation. HyperDeflation. French-Onion Double Dip Recession Inflation Stagnation. Alien Nation. Arrrrrgggggggg. Someone let me out of this cartoon.

We're not in Kansas anymore Toto. Ruff.

Okay. Assume Inflation. What is your Plan Of Attack?

Now. Assume Deflation. What is your Plan of Attack?

Which one, in your mind, is the worst case scenario?

If you go with that plan and it turns out different, will you be worse off? Can you adapt to the other plan quickly?

I like to keep things simple. Creating a million different names for a million different stages of an economic cycle is,

silly.

Economy. Is it "good" or "bad" in YOUR eyes? What evidence do YOU see? Now what are other people saying... what do you SEE? What does what you see mean?

CPI and all that has always been a bunch of mumbo-jumbo in my opinion. The man on the street is informed of those rising or falling CPI figures as if that means something to him. When all he realy knows is that the price of his steak has risen while a can of baked beans has gone down. Gas prices are anyone's guess - and there is no collaberation between gas companies even though they all seem to raise and lower their prices by the exact same amount in the same hour on the same day.

Are there more or fewer people at the flea markets? Is the Second Hand furniture business picking up or dropping off?

Are the shopping trolleys filled more with brand products or no-brand products?

Approach any cleaners you know and ask them if toilet paper theft has risen or fallen? Ask them if business is picking up or dropping off? Hired Cleaning Contractors are the first thing to be discarded by a struggling business.

McDonald's has a negative quarter/year. Was it because of a price war with Burger King or are there other factors involved - more and more people becoming health-aware, etc.?

Stores closing down in your area? Are they the ones that appear only to disappear a few months later. And the same thing happens with whoever opens a store in that "doomed" store front? Or are they stores which have been there for years and years? Why did they close?

I don't care what the so-called experts say. They can't even agree anyway. BUT... I do pay attention to the man on the street. I listen to the joys and pains they express. I see their spending habits. I listen to business owners - who only ever seem to complain with only the degree changing.

These non-scientific indicators give me a better "take" than some $200,000+ a year analyst on the 37th floor of downtown Manhattan, who plays golf three times a week at the $10,000 a year membership golf club.

The man on the street might be a sheep - even without realising it. And so it's good to watch him. Hey, the analyst is also a sheep - following whatever the other analysts say, like lemmings.

So, Boyd... forgetting about what the "experts" say... what do your eyes and ears tell you?

Michael Ross