Posts Tagged ‘economic recession trends’

Many people know that certain items sell better during an economic slump – things like liquor or movie ticket sales tend to perk up people who are looking for an “escape,” no matter how temporary, from their day-to-day money worries.

Interestingly, H.J. Heinz Company reported an 11% increase in its quarterly profit even after raising prices by 8%.

Well, that’s a lot of ketchup sales!

Actually, the Pittsburgh-based Heinz makes much more than just ketchup (including frozen food, soups, beans and pasta meals), but the food company’s obviously enjoying the benefits of the dining-in trend among consumers.

Prepared meals by Heinz and other food makers are also enjoying renewed popularity, as busy families on the go are trading down from catching dinner at local establishments to prepared meals at home. Not everyone is ready to try cooking from scratch.

Can you predict the winners or losers of food sales during an economic downturn? Which foods will sell briskly, and which will languish?

Also take a look at “How to Save Money on Groceries” for ways to cut back and still eat great.

While there’s obviously no guarantee that this recession will follow the same path as ones that have come before, here’s a very interesting look at how this downturn compares to some of the biggest of the last 80 years.

The chart above, created by dshort.com and updated on Feb. 25, gives a very compelling look at the stock-market path of the current economic recession compared to those of the Great Depression, the 1973 oil crisis, and the recession caused by the collapse of the technology bubble at the beginning of this century.

A lot of facts, figures and odd measurements (like the actual height of a stack of one billion dollar bills) have been thrown around since the start of the recession, but I find this chart a very tangible quantification of what’s really happening. Hopefully, you will too.

Do you find this chart illustrates the recession better than others you’ve seen? Does it help you put the recession in real terms?