The lipstick economic index

Reading a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit on the outlook for this year, I found out that lipstick sales can be a very reliable economic indicator.  As ridiculous at it may sound, theory goes that if lipstick is selling briskly, the economy is not doing well, as women are substituting other purchases with it.

I’ve heard of other unorthodox economic indicators, but this one is the weirdest.