Data Points: New Resources and Other Noteworthy Developments

In an effort to make it easier for data users to access the broad range of reports it offers, the Census Bureau has crafted a new “Business and Industry” section on its website that sorts the statistical measures by sector and special topics.  The broadest categories are: the economic census, economic indicators, and other economic programs such as the annual survey of manufacturers and county data.  Census also provides links for businesses and organizations that are participating in the agency’s surveys, with guidance on how to tell if a form is legitimate and getting help to fill out the forms.  There’s also a robust search and data aggregation function for access to NAICS categories and other slices of the data.

A statistics session at the St. Louis annual meeting focused on often confusing measures of housing activity with a three-member panel offering views on how best to use and interpret key reports on building, sales, pricing, and financing.  See the annual meeting session pages for presentations by David Crowe, National Association of Home Builders; David Johnson, U.S. Census Bureau; and Richard Peach, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

If you’re looking for the latest banking industry trends and statistics, start with the industry analysis pages of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) website.  A frequently asked questions section provides an introduction with links to pages on everything from an institution directory, reports and data on individual banks, the agency’s quarterly financial profile, failed bank lists, and more.  FDIC’s site also publishes working papers and, through its Center for Financial Research, also “encourages and supports innovative research on topics pertaining to its role as deposit insurer and bank supervisor.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has long provided six national rates of unemployment or measures of labor underutilization that are alternatives to the widely used civilian unemployment rate, defined as the share of the labor force (those who are working or are available and looking of jobs).  Recently the agency began publishing state-level alternative jobless rates or measures of labor underutilization.  The state unemployment rates (U-1 through U-6) are based on the same definitions as the national measures. 

Three economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco recently studied factors that have led to what they see as an unusually wide disparity in inflation forecasts—both short-term and over a longer period.  “This may complicate the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy communications strategy,” wrote Sylvain Leduc, Glenn D. Rudebusch, and Justin Weidner in the October 5 issue of the District bank’s “Economic Letter.”  The authors cite several reasons for the range of forecasts and conclude “understanding why forecasters disagree over these different time horizons can help improve the Fed’s communication with the public and contribute to achieving monetary policy goals.”

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has accelerated the release of its reports on gross domestic product (GDP) by metropolitan area. Starting with a report released September 24, BEA issued a new schedule that represents a 12-month acceleration of releasing GDP-by-metropolitan-area statistics.  BEA introduced GDP-by-metropolitan-area statistics in September 2007.  GDP by Metropolitan Area is the measure of the market value of final goods and services produced within a metropolitan area in a particular period of time.

Share: