Article: YELLOW PAGES, CLASSIFIED ADS INDICAT HOT BUSINESSES

San Francisco Chronicle You won't need government reports to gauge the economy if you know how two interpret two little-known indicators: Yellow Page listings and classified ads.

While economists harness computers to produce forecasts based on factors like housing starts and interest rates, there's something to be said for simply counting up the ads in newspapers and the phone book.

Which businesses are hot? Facsimile machine dealers and services, convenience stores and anything relating to moving, according to American Business Information, an Omaha-based firm that tracks advertising in Yellow Pages.

Listings for firms that provide fax services soared 162 percent last year, the ...

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