Which of the following is considered a primary economic indicator?

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is considered a primary economic indicator because it provides a comprehensive measure of a country's economic activity. It represents the total value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period within a nation's borders, effectively capturing the overall economic performance and health of an economy.

GDP is a crucial tool for policymakers and economists as it reflects the output of the economy and can indicate growth or recession trends. Understanding GDP helps in assessing the economy's size, its growth rate, and the general standard of living within the nation.

The other choices, while important economic indicators, do not provide as direct a measure of overall economic activity. For instance, the consumer confidence index gauges how optimistic consumers feel about the economic situation, which can influence spending but doesn’t directly measure economic output. Stock market performance is reflective of investment trends and consumer behavior, yet it can be volatile and influenced by factors unrelated to the broader economy. Housing starts are useful for understanding real estate and construction activities but are a more specific subset of economic data rather than a comprehensive measure like GDP.