New luxury-goods index follows trend

The surging number of millionaires is prompting U.S. investment bank Merrill Lynch to launch a luxury-goods index this week. The Merrill Lynch LifeStyle Index is featuring names well familiar to trendsetters worldwide.

They include the fashion house of Christian Dior, the luxury jeweller Bulgari and the legendary motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson, among 50 others.

The index reflects the preferences of not only U.S. and European consumers, but also the shopper populations of Russia, China and India booming.