Even if you aren’t in the financial sector you have to pay attention to the markets. Knowing when to invest in the stock market or grow your business depends on your knowledge of which way the economy is headed, and basic economic indicators like foreclosures, housing starts, and bankruptcies can give you a basic understanding of which way the economy is going to be moving in the near future.

Additional information can also be helpful when you are looking at these economic indices, because oftentimes one or more of the historical indices will be in conflict with each other. This is where additional information can help you interpret what is actually going on. Legal indices are a great way to interpret when housing starts and foreclosures are in conflict with each other. Law indices track legal intakes for things like bankruptcies and foreclosures, and if there is a sudden surge in foreclosures at the same time housing starts are going up that can indicate that, rather than people newly struggling to pay bills, people are ready to end their financial difficulties and move on with their lives. This would, in turn, indicate that the economy is moving in an upward direction after all.

Legal indices have been compiled from law firm intakes across the country for fifteen years and can be especially helpful to businesses or personal investors. Paying attention to the economy is not only for those in the financial sector – everyone needs to understand what is happening in the economy so they can make better financial and business decisions. Learn more about law indices from this infographic from Legal Shield!

The LegalShield Law Index is a suite of leading indicators of the economic and financial status of U.S. household and small business. These indicators predict the direction that the economy is headed, and will help you to make smarter investments and better business decisions. We’re happy to present you this data for the first time in infographic form: