About the Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index™
In conjunction with economists at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Charles River Associates, Ceridian has launched the groundbreaking Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index™ by UCLA Anderson School of Management. It is a first of its kind indicator of the state and possible future direction of the U.S. economy. The index is issued monthly and has been proven to track closely to the Federal Reserve’s Industrial Production number.
The Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index (PCI) is based on real-time fuel consumption data for over the road trucking. By tracking the volume and location of diesel fuel being purchased, the index closely monitors the over the road movement of raw materials, goods-in-process and finished goods to U.S. factories, retailers and consumers.
Compiling and Analyzing the Data
Every day across the United States, over the road trucks are fueling up with diesel as they move goods across the country, delivering everything from produce to raw materials to finished goods. Through Ceridian’s electronic card payment services for the transportation industry, Ceridian has been able to track this data and analyze the volume of fuel being used by these vehicles on a yearly, monthly, weekly and daily basis. Ceridian processes millions of these fuel transactions each year, and the data provides a compelling story about the status and direction of the U.S. economy.
Every time an over the road truck makes a diesel fuel purchase using a Ceridian card, Ceridian's database captures the location and number of gallons pumped into the tank. Each transaction acts like a sensor providing data to Ceridian. The data is then analyzed to provide a detailed picture of over the road trucking activity along U.S. interstates and at cities, shipping ports, manufacturing centers and border crossings with Canada and Mexico.
The Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index and the Broader Economy
Some economic indicators have a lag time or are based only on surveys of business leaders’ attitudes. The PCI is based on real-time, actual consumption data that provides fact-based insight into the economy well before the monthly Industrial Production number is issued. This timely insight will help businesses and other interested parties get a jump on what’s happening inside the U.S. economy.
As the index changes, it offers real comparisons to past performance that captures a solid picture of what has happened, while showing the direction of the overall U.S. economy. This insight is invaluable to businesses, manufacturers, retailers and municipalities as they determine business strategy, plan for growth, or prepare for and manage a downturn.
Timing of Index Release Dates
A monthly report will be publicly released which analyzes the index and its significance to the broader economy. The release dates vary, but the scheduled release dates will generally fall on or near the 10th day of each month.
