Show J 1 Looking Ahead J JN iJ i Q EARLY all of us could make quite a bit bitof N NEARLY of money now V and then if we could dope out business conditions conditions' several i m months in advance For instance a ct a aman man buying or building a h home me might be able to save saxe a lot of cash if he knew whether prices lat later r were going to rise or fall Prediction of business conditions formerly was as uncertain uncertain tam tain as as' as predicting the tIe wea weather her months ahead But now it is becoming almost an exact science Ph The stock market rises or faits falls from three to six months in advance of general business conditions If the gamblers think hard tim times times' s are rare coming stock market prices fall anticipating anticipating antici antic depression Similarly a bull market with pric prices shooting upward means that the gamblers are betting on good times ahead These prophetic movements in the stock mar mar mar- ket of course course- are th the long range tendencies Trouble is an tin ran outsider outsider watching the market marketis marketis' I is is is' apt to mistake a ii temporary setback or ad advance vance for a ra long range rang tendency Then too even even the most crafty of market speculators often guess in incorrectly Another business barometer is the fhe production of pig iron Many experts expert think iron output or falls faUs about six months ahead of gen general genral ral business con conditions Shipments of freight over the railroads also anticipate general geneal business trends They re reveal reveal reveal re- re veal how manufacturers and retailers are betting betting bet ting ing on the future future But ut this form of prediction prediction pre- pre diction is too too uncertain to place bets on for fa sometimes freight movement is heaviest just before a smash This was the case on the eve of the the hard hard times that started about four years ea s ago F r traffic had been big big- most most people eople that money would g grow gow ow on trees rees forever The latest scientific business barometer accordi according g to pie the Harvard committee on on economic economic economic eco eco- research is advertising in newspapers newspapers and magazines Some experts however think thin that hat advertising i forecasts price changes ra rather her than han sales Lots of of- advertising means a i general belief eli f that times are rare going to to be good Newspaper advertising is more accurate rate in inthis this respect being closer to the people |