As of 10:22 AM PDT on Monday, August , 18 of the top 20 Google Trends concern the economy. In this order, the keywords are: djia, dow jones industrial average, tsp, stock market today, mortgage rates, stock quotes, s p 500, bac, cnn money, gld, silver prices, new york stock exchange, yahoo finance, gold prices, nasdaq, oil prices, cnbc, kate gosselin, kids games, gold price per ounce.
And if we drill down into the headlines behind the trend, we find: “US Stocks Fall Hard In Monday Flight From Risk; DJIA Down 303,” “Todays DJIA Dow Jones Index DJX DJI Stock Market Today Nasdaq,” “Stock market takes a dive after credit downgrade.” And sentences like “the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging..” or falling. Or fell.
In all that 18 of the top 20 Google Trends concern the economy in this negative way is a result of the markets, and people, reacting to Standard and Poors rating agency’s downgrade of U.S. Long Term Debt to AA+ from AAA. And while some in the media cover up the fact that S&P specifically pointed to the Republican actions to block needed tax increases, others take aim at S&P, claiming the company’s actions were politically motivated.
Twitter Not Impacted
But overall, the nation and the World are so concerned about the economy that it’s dominating search. But it’s not impacting Twitter, where the current top trends are: #TabCoSneakPeek, #WhyAreYou, #replacebandnameswithlesbian, #WTT, Lift Off, Murder To Excellence, Teen Choice Awards, Steve Williams, Jay-Z, Rise of the Planet.
The reason for this? Demographics. The common Twitter user is most likely to be between 25 and 44 years old, comprising 57 percent of all groups. Add those below 25 and the percentage jumps to 74 percent. Meanwhile, those most likely to be concerned with stocks, bonds, and investments are an older group, much less likely to use Twitter or get news from it.
Stay tuned.
Bill Carroll