WASHINGTON DESK - The Dismal Scientist is a great economics reference page for those who want a quick explanation of the state of the nation's economic well being or a refresher course in market dynamics. The authors claim that it is the authoritative source. The authors are noted econ gurus Kenneth Markus and Keith Antonyshyn. They should know. Kudos to them.

The Dismal Scientist is a registered servicemark and Dismal Sciences is a servicemark of Dismal Sciences.

Economics terms and dismal science links shed light the dynamics of the nation's economy. Macro indicators and trends provide CPI, PPI, GDP, GNP, retail sales, personal income, employment situation, consumer confidence, unemployment, average hourly earnings, durable goods, and a few other factors.

Take a tour of The Dismal Scientist, as see for yourself. Do you have a question concerning American consumer sentiment? Just click on their link at Consumer Confidence and you are presented with a definition of the measure of level of confidence individual households have in the performance of the economy and recent estimates of the amount of confidence in today's markets.

There, the Web site tells you that Consumer Credit measures the value of loans for consumer purchases and refinancing. The figures reflect consumer credit outstanding at the end of the month and include three main categories: Auto, Revolving Credit, and Other Loans. It is a useful indicator to measure consumer spending trends. And there are additional hyperlinks at that location for obtaining detailed data on the expansion of credit dimension.

Try any of the following links to access more of these vital and interesting datasets:

• CPI, Consumer Price Index. The (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a fixed market basket of consumer goods and services from A to Z.

• National Output? Try GDP, Gross Domestic Product. This is a measure of the total production and consumption of goods and services in the U.S.

• The NAPM Survey is published by the National Association of Purchasing Managers each month and measures activity within the manufacturing sector.

• How about thePayroll Employment, employment report. It is a measure of the number of jobs in more than five hundred industries except for farming and in all states and 255 metropolitan areas. The employment estimates are based on a survey of larger businesses.

All in all, the Dismal Scientist is one of most useful indeces to come around in a long time. Go to their Homepage and Bookmark it for ready referernece on your desktop. This is required reading.