Data Points: New resources and other noteworthy developments

The Bureau of Economic Analysis offers NIPA briefing materials ahead of its July 31 release of benchmark or comprehensive revisions to the national income and product accounts. Materials include a presentation by BEA economist Brent Moulton at a NIPA users conference in June and an article in the Survey of Current Business. Among the major revisions will be a new structure for presenting components of personal consumption expenditures (PCE).

Learn about the latest plans of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including a budget proposal for a new measure of “green-collar jobs,” according to BLS Commissioner Keith Hall.  His regular “Commissioner’s Corner” feature also highlights a new paper on the sharp increase in the number of discouraged workers during the current recession and provides links to Hall’s recent testimony before Congress. 

The Obama administration has launched Data.gov that provides a portal to a searchable data catalog in three ways: a “raw” data catalog for an instant download of machine readable, platform-independent datasets; a tool catalog that can be searched by single or multiple agencies; and a geodata catalog that also can be searched by single or multiple agencies. “A primary goal of Data.gov is to improve access to federal data and expand creative use of those data beyond the walls of government by expanding innovative ideas (e.g., web applications,” the site explains. The website’s managers provide reviews of datasets by users and invite suggestions for adding information.

An article on  “Profits and Balance Sheet Developments at U.S. Commercial Banks in 2008,” published in the June Federal Reserve Bulletin, looks at key factors that shook the financial sector last year and how federal policy actions aimed to address issues that surfaced as the crisis unfolded.  The article by Morten L.Bech and Tara Rice provides a comprehensive look at the financial sector against a backdrop of the overall economy and what was then a deepening recession. Authors include developments through early 2009.

The Census Bureau continues its rollout of data from the 2007 Economic Census with the early June release of national level data files on the real estate, rental and leasing sector (NAICS 53). The report includes estimates of establishments, revenue, payrolls, number of employees, and other information.  Data from the Economic Censuses will be released through September 2009.