Lesson 1Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): accessing GDP data, real vs nominal GDP, quarterly annualization, revisionsLearn to get BEA GDP reports, tell real from nominal GDP, grasp quarterly growth rates that are yearly based, and follow changes over time to see how the macro story develops.
Finding your way in BEA GDP data sitesReal vs nominal GDP and price adjustersHow to calculate quarterly yearly growthParts of GDP and spending sharesFollowing GDP changes through timeLesson 2Inflation datasets: CPI and PCE—definitions, core vs headline, measurement differences, locating time seriesLook into CPI and PCE inflation ideas, headline against core measures, what they cover and how weighted, and how to find, download, and read official inflation data for macro and investment choices.
What CPI and PCE price indexes meanHeadline vs core: what's left out and whyHow measurements differ and where data comes fromFinding CPI and PCE in FREDReading inflation patterns and ups and downsLesson 3International organizations and cross-checks: IMF and World Bank time series for context and consistencyKnow how IMF and World Bank data add to national sources, how to get similar country data over time, and check levels, growth, and meanings to make sure macro analysis is steady.
IMF Data Site and main macro dataWorld Bank WDI and topic searchesMatching country codes and unitsComparing data from different placesFinding mismatches and data breaksLesson 4Leading indicators databases: ISM PMI, Conference Board LEI, consumer confidence indices—where to find and how to useLook at main leading data like ISM PMI, Conference Board LEI, and consumer confidence, learn where to get them, how made, and use in predicting business ups and downs.
ISM making and services PMIsParts of Conference Board LEIConsumer confidence and feeling indexesSpread indexes and key levelsUsing leading data in downturn modelsLesson 5Data quality, revisions, and how to cite sources with month/year (best practices)Build a steady way to check macro data quality, know first against changed releases, track past changes, and cite sources with month and year in work outputs.
First releases vs changed macro dataUsual change sources and biasesUsing change histories and versionsChecking notes and small printsCiting data with date and source infoLesson 6Treasury market and yield curve data: 2y, 10y, and other maturities; calculating spreads and reading auction resultsLearn to get Treasury yield data for different times, work out key spreads like 2s10s, read yield curve shapes, and check auction results for signs of demand, flow, and policy hopes.
Places for Treasury yield curve dataActive vs old securitiesWorking out 2s10s and other spreadsReading curve getting steeper or flatReading Treasury auction tablesLesson 7Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): unemployment, payrolls, labor force participation, wage measures and seasonalityGet skills to reach BLS labor data, like unemployment, payrolls, joining, and wage measures, and learn how season changes and survey setup affect reading trends.
Home vs work surveysUnemployment rate and U-3 vs U-6Nonfarm payrolls and sector partsLabor joining and people groupsWage and earnings measures, season effectsLesson 8FRED and other aggregators: downloading series, frequency conversion, basic smoothing and trend extractionLearn to use FRED and like tools to search, download, change macro series, adjust times, use simple smooth and trend tools, and set data for charts, compares, and basic investment work.
Searching and saving key macro seriesDownloading data in CSV and ExcelChanging data time and grouping waysUsing moving averages and simple toolsUsing FRED charts and custom boardsLesson 9Practical checklist: step-by-step guide to assemble the specific 12–24 month dataset required by the case study (GDP, unemployment, inflation, policy rate, yield curve, one leading indicator)Follow a planned way to build a 12–24 month macro dataset for a case, with GDP, unemployment, inflation, policy rates, yield curve spreads, and one leading sign, ready for charts and number fits.
Setting the case time and rangePicking main macro and market partsMatching times and datesCleaning, naming, and keeping the datasetMaking summary charts and tablesLesson 10Federal Reserve releases and FOMC statements: how to find, read, and extract policy rate and guidanceLearn to find Federal Reserve stats, FOMC statements, and notes, get policy rate paths and balance data, and read forward guide words for macro and market work.
Main Fed releases and date plansFinding FOMC statements and notesSpotting policy rate choices and pathsReading forward guide wordsUsing SEP and dot plot info
