Editor
It’s the sign of doom that economists have been dreading: the lipstick index is on the rise.
Coined in 2001 by Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, the lipstick index refers to the phenomenon where consumers facing economic uncertainty tend to spend more on small pleasures — including cosmetics. When sales of lipstick go up, stocks and the gross domestic product may be headed down.
This year, the index is…
