income averages around the world has shifted east. it used to be in the transatlantic, sort of new york/london kind of deal. no, not anymore. now it hovers right over the arabian peninsula. and what's more, if current trends continue, it will shift from what you're looking at now which is the burge in dubai to what you're looking at now which is the las vegas sands in singapore. singapore will be the center of the world. so is there is a connection between tallest building and strongest economy? now, an economist named andrew lawrence is behind something called the skyscraper index which shows that the construction of very tall buildings is actually a great way to predict the onset of economic changes. so here's how it works. when a skyscraper begins construction, everybody is all excited, ebullient, right, the country is growing. usually they are too excited and then there is a dramatic plunge in the economic outlook of the country. but according to the index, once the skyscraper has finally finished, the economy will be climbing back. one world trade center will be america's tallest tower when it is completed next year. and even though americans'