Data Points: New resources and other noteworthy developments

Track auto industry employment, hours, and earnings through a series of pages on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s website. The scope of BLS’s automotive industry data includes manufacturing and retail establishments associated with motor vehicles produced and sold in the United States.  The latest figures show a loss of nearly 218,000 jobs over the year ended in March.  See the details here.

Where should you start in searching for details about economic stimulus programs and spending by federal agencies charged with dispersing money?  The Obama administration provides descriptions and links to agencies at http://www.recovery.gov/ and you can find out funding amounts and some details about the allocation process.  No doubt providing grist for the political mill, the White House displays a U.S. map on the “impact” link of Recovery.gov that shows jobs created/saved estimates for each state over the next two years. There’s a link under the map to an explanation from the Council of Economic Advisers on how it calculated the estimates.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis offers detailed explanations of timely economic statistical issues—in a frequently asked questions format—as they arise in key data series produced by the agency. A recent entry provides explanations of large revisions in the personal savings rate.  The FAQs are searchable and you can submit your own question to BEA analysts.  Sign up here for the e-mail notifications.

With photo slideshows and reports organized by region, the Projects and Operations pages of the World Bank’s website highlight ongoing research programs and data series, as well as provide a road map through the bank’s project cycle for funding and assistance. See the details here.

Each month the Dallas Federal Reserve Board releases an alternative core inflation measure called the trimmed mean PCE (personal consumption expenditure) rate. According to their research, Dallas Fed analysts conclude that by excluding certain components of the PCE, they are able to eliminate much of the “noise” and capture a clearer picture of core inflation.

An article in the March issue of Survey of Current Business, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, under BEA Briefing looks at “Future Directions for Industry Accounts” by Brian C. Moyer. He describes recent improvements in these measures and looks ahead to planned changes.