3d ago

The Stripper Index: Decoding the Economic Signals of Sex Work - Business Review at Berkeley

businessreview.studentorg.berkeley.edu

Strippers might be predicting a recession.

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However, when X user and stripper @botticellibimbo correctly predicted the economic decline in 2022 based on her recent profits at work, economists began to examine the Stripper Index more closely.
Reminds me of that joke statistic - economists have predicted 28 of the last 5 recessions.
Like, it's fun to talk about "The Stripper Index" because it feels naughty. But is there anything that differentiates it from the Amusement Park Index or the Ice Cream Index? It's all discretionary spending, and presumably should all point in the same direction. Add to this that (1) sex work is taboo - and therefore may be more likely to be influenced by any number of things, like religious or social media trends, and (2) that much of sex work occurs in black or grey markets, where reported earnings are dubious at best, and I really doubt that this is a significantly better economic indicator than the tools actual economists already use.
- I mean, if you'd stop to think for a moment, I'd think the stripper index does have some credence to it beyond the others exactly because of the things you cited...
  Sex work is taboo, so the people who seek it are going to be the people who ostensibly "need" it. Most people can take or leave a theme park visit. People addicted to tits aren't going to give it up so easily. So... the very reasons you question it are exactly why it is a stronger market indicator.
  
  Entirely possible. I said I'm skeptical that it is better than standard models, not that I'm sure. But, in the absence of other evidence, I'm inclined to believe the economists who actually understand economics, rather than some rando on Twitter saying "called it!" - stripper or not.
- Strippers not prostitutes.
  
  Did you read your own article? It defines the Stripper Index as including all forms of sexual labour.

Did some more googling about this, looks like there's other unconventional and seemingly unintuitive counter signals that might lend credence to these metrics: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/sex-workers-already-predicted-theres-110007476.html
- It seems that "disposable" income is the overall theme here. That's why Las Vegas is usually a great market to watch for early economic downturn.

I think the ramen / noodle index is a better novelty metric of societies finances.

Alot of indexes but are there any links to any actual statistics or just anectodes? I didnt see any

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