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EC Thesis

Examination of methods of analysis commonly used in economics and business. Emphasis on non-experimental and quasi-experimental designs necessitating the use of models. and large sample methods, case studies, surveys, regression and forecasting.

U.S. Data Sources

data numbers

  • Data.gov - U.S. Federal Executive Branch datasets; Raw Data Catalog provides download of machine readable, platform-independent data sets while the Tools Catalog provides hyperlinks to tools that allow you to mine datasets.
  • Bureau of Economic Analysis - national and state/local level; data holdings focus on national accounts and their components: GDP, consumption expenditure, personal income, investment, and international transactions. Also data on topics such as employment, inventories, auto sales, and transfer payments
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics - data on employment, unemployment, wages, and prices, at both the national and sub-national levels also there - the Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web
  • Economic Report of the President -Provides access to: 1) current and foreseeable trends and annual numeric goals concerning topics such as employment, unemployment, production, real income, and the labor force 2) annual numeric goals and 3) a program for carrying out program objectives. 

Specialized

Federal Reserve

ALFRED (ArchivaL Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Chicago Fed National Activity Index - a "weighted average of 85 existing monthly indicators of national economic activity ... drawn from four broad categories of data: production and income; employment, unemployment, and hours; personal consumption and housing; and sales, orders, and inventories." Data from a precursor to the CFNAI are available at this site.

Fed In Print - An Index to Federal Reserve Economic Research.

Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED II) - time-series data for variables such as monetary aggregates, interest rates, exchange rates, banking, GDP, and consumer prices; data mostly from the 1950's onwards, some extend back prior to WWII

Federal Sources

Federal Reserve Banks
Financial data such as interest and exchange rates, money stocks and components, debt measures, bank assets and liabilities, official reserves, household assets and liabilities, and corporate debt.

  • Indicators: Industrial production and capacity utilization, money stock and debt measures, aggregate reserves and monetary base, bank credit, consumer credit, interest rates and bond yields
  • FRASER: Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research - historical economic statistics and data from a variety of publications including All Bank Statistics, Business Conditions Digest, Economic Indicators, Survey of Current Business, Business Statistics, and more.
  • Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) - database of 18,725 economic time series.
  • Liber8 -Federal Bank information, aimed at students.
  • EconDISC - Data and informationlinks to the various data distribution services of the Fed
  • Beige Book Archive - searchable version of the report, published eight times per year, summarizing current economic information gathered from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources; 1970+
Bank Data and Statistics Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  • Searchable databases for information on specific banks, their branches, and the industry.
Federal Reserve Board: Statistics & Historical Data
  • Statistical releases and historical data; selected interest rates; foreign exchange rates; U.S. reserve assets; assets and liabilities of commercial banks in the U.S.; money stock measures; consumer credit; and more.

Indicators