I used to find so much money on the ground - quarters, nickles, dimes, pennies - every day. When the economy tanked a few years ago, the difference I immediately noticed was that the coins on the ground had disappeared. Absolutely nothing to be found.
This past month though, I have started to notice a comeback of the lost penny. I've been finding one or two pennies on the ground each day. No quarters yet, but I'm going to say that these few pennies are a sign of a turn around in the economy. It's as least as good a predictor as anything the economists have to offer.