It’s been a week of ups and downs for the U.S. markets, which ended at 600 points down on Monday, rose Tuesday, and took another nose dive yesterday. But those numbers only tell half of the story. All week long, experts like our economics editor, Charlie Herman, have reminded our listeners that a cursory glance at the markets is not a direct indicator of our economic well-being. If we shouldn’t be worrying about the perpetual stock market roller coaster, which numbers should we be watching instead? To learn about some of the everyday items that Americans should be using to gauge our nation’s economic health, we’re speaking with Pippa Malmgren, President and founder of Principalis Asset Management; a financial firm based in London. She also served as financial market advisor in the White House and on the National Economic Council from 2001-2002. She talks about the different ways economic pressures and inflation can affect us.