Some worry that if Antoni is confirmed, the numbers coming out of BLS, which tracks the most-watched economic stats in the country—including inflation, unemployment and payrolls—will be altered to support claims Trump is making about the economy. Meanwhile, many of the Trump faithful believe those numbers already were being doctored. 

There’s long been a cottage industry of websites promoting alternative inflation figures. They almost always say it’s higher than the official number. The same for unemployment—and even GDP has its skeptics who will tell you we’re in a recession no matter what the Bureau of Economic Analysis says.

You don’t have to be a crank or mistrust the government to appreciate alternative indicators. Even economist Alan Greenspan, who chaired the Federal Reserve for 18 years, had his favorite measure, which he believed could predict a coming downturn or recovery before the official numbers: sales of men’s underwear.  

There’s no shortage of alternatives. Some are straightforward—private payroll counts, consumer price trackers. Others are quirky—skirt lengths, lipstick sales, pawn shop activity. They’re imperfect and difficult to verify if you don’t trust the official data. But they can serve as a gut check, especially if Antoni follows through on his suggestion to pause the monthly jobs report.But even the most straightforward indicators need solid ground to stand on, which brings us to a tricky catch: Alternative data is only as good as the reliable standard you measure it against.

“These numbers shape Federal Reserve policies, business decisions and investor confidence. For those doubting the stats, a mix of serious and quirky alternatives—like payroll data or skirt lengths—offers a gut check on the economy's pulse. Hopefully, official data (depending on your perspective) holds or becomes firm, but tracking these alternative indicators, whether out of skepticism or just for fun, can help you cross-check future numbers.”