Lesson 1Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): accessing GDP data, real vs nominal GDP, quarterly annualization, revisionsLearn how to get BEA GDP releases, tell nominal from real GDP, understand quarterly growth rates wey dey annualized, and follow changes over time to see how di macro story dey change.
Navigating BEA GDP data portalsReal vs nominal GDP and deflatorsQuarterly annualized growth calculationsGDP components and expenditure sharesTracking GDP revisions over timeLesson 2Inflation datasets: CPI and PCE—definitions, core vs headline, measurement differences, locating time seriesExplore CPI and PCE inflation ideas, headline against core measures, how dem cover and weigh dem different, and how to find, download, and understand official inflation time series for macro and investment decisions.
Definitions of CPI and PCE price indexesHeadline vs core: what is excluded and whyMeasurement differences and data sourcesLocating CPI and PCE series in FREDInterpreting inflation trends and volatilityLesson 3International organizations and cross-checks: IMF and World Bank time series for context and consistencyUnderstand how IMF and World Bank databases help national sources, how to pull same cross-country time series, and how to check levels, growth rates, and meanings to make sure everything dey consistent in macro analysis.
IMF Data Portal and key macro datasetsWorld Bank WDI and topic-based searchesHarmonizing country codes and unitsComparing series across multiple providersSpotting inconsistencies and data breaksLesson 4Leading indicators databases: ISM PMI, Conference Board LEI, consumer confidence indices—where to find and how to useLook at big leading indicator data like ISM PMI, Conference Board LEI, and consumer confidence indices, learn where to find dem, how dem dey made, and how to use dem for forecasting cycles.
ISM manufacturing and services PMIsConference Board LEI componentsConsumer confidence and sentiment indexesDiffusion indexes and threshold levelsUsing leading data in recession modelsLesson 5Data quality, revisions, and how to cite sources with month/year (best practices)Develop a good way to check macro data quality, understand first releases against revised ones, follow historical changes, and cite sources with month and year in professional work.
First releases vs revised macro dataCommon sources of revisions and biasesUsing revision histories and vintagesChecking documentation and footnotesCiting data with date and source detailsLesson 6Treasury market and yield curve data: 2y, 10y, and other maturities; calculating spreads and reading auction resultsLearn how to get Treasury yield data for different times, calculate key spreads like 2s10s, understand yield curve shapes, and read auction results for signs about demand, liquidity, and policy expectations.
Sources for Treasury yield curve dataOn-the-run vs off-the-run securitiesCalculating 2s10s and other key spreadsInterpreting curve steepening and inversionReading Treasury auction result tablesLesson 7Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): unemployment, payrolls, labor force participation, wage measures and seasonalityGet practical skills in accessing BLS labor market data, including unemployment, payrolls, participation, and wage measures, and learn how seasonal adjustment and survey design affect how you understand trends.
Household vs establishment surveysUnemployment rate and U-3 vs U-6Nonfarm payrolls and sector breakdownsLabor force participation and demographicsWage and earnings measures, seasonal effectsLesson 8FRED and other aggregators: downloading series, frequency conversion, basic smoothing and trend extractionLearn how to use FRED and similar places to search, download, and change macro series, adjust frequencies, apply simple smoothing and trend filters, and organize data for charts, comparison, and basic investment analysis.
Searching and bookmarking key macro seriesDownloading data in CSV and Excel formatsChanging data frequency and aggregation methodsApplying moving averages and simple filtersUsing FRED graphs and custom dashboardsLesson 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 structured way to build a 12–24 month macro dataset for a case study, including GDP, unemployment, inflation, policy rates, yield curve spreads, and one leading indicator, ready for charts and regressions.
Defining the case study horizon and scopeSelecting core macro and market variablesAligning frequencies and calendar datesCleaning, labeling, and storing the datasetCreating summary charts and tablesLesson 10Federal Reserve releases and FOMC statements: how to find, read, and extract policy rate and guidanceLearn how to find Federal Reserve statistical releases, FOMC statements, and minutes, extract policy rate paths and balance sheet data, and understand forward guidance language for macro and market analysis.
Key Fed releases and publication calendarFinding FOMC statements and minutesIdentifying policy rate decisions and pathsReading forward guidance languageUsing SEP and dot plot information
