Spreading Factor

The spreading factor is a single indicator of the development of a particular phenomenon, which is formed on the basis of the connection of its values ​​with the base one, and is determined by the influence of a specific value of the shift in development (percentage of growth) in certain directions.

The factor spreading indicator for a specific period of time (t-1, t-2, etc.) is the reciprocal of the base value - for the same period of development or shift in a specific direction, it always shows the % possible decrease in this indicator. As a rule, spreading factors are used to analyze long-term trends (to calculate some time trends, it is advisable to use cycles with a given number of fluctuations), and can be used to converge the level of short-term trends with long-term ones. For example, when making economic forecasts, it is important to take into account both economic and social changes at the current price level and the development of production in the future. For this indicator, the USSR had a “leading” indicator. In simple terms, each trend direction is calculated not from the point reached, but from the difference between the base and achieved values. If the value is equal to the base or negative, then the trend cannot