A. Specific Indicators 
Business Cycle/Leading Indicators from the Conference Board
<http://www.tcb-indicators.org/Us/LatestReleases/index.cfm> (Lauinger
subscribes only to the press release; find also via GEORGE, search
by title Business Cycle Indicators.)
Consumer/Commercial Sectors
- Consumer Expenditure Survey <http://www.bls.gov/cex/>
- Retail Sales <http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/fullpub.html>
- Home Sales <http://www.census.gov/const/www/newressalesindex.html>
- Personal Income and Outlays <http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/pi/pinewsrelease.htm> see
also in Survey of Current Business #9 in this
list.
- Corporate Profits <http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2007/gdp307p.htm>
Economic Well-Being
- Distribution of Income <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/incomestats.html>
- Distribution of Wealth (Survey of Consumer Finances) <http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/oss/oss2/scfindex.html>
- Poverty <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html>
GDP
- News release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) <http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrel/gdpnewsrelease.htm>
- GDP in Survey of Current Business <http://www.bea.gov/bea/pubs.htm> (Selected
NIPA Tables)
- NIPA (National Income and Product Accounts) <http://www.bea.gov/National/Index.htm>
Government Budgets and Debt
- Official Federal Budget <http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/browse.html>
- Monthly Treasury Statement <http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/index.html>
- Consolidated Federal Funds Report <http://www.census.gov/govs/www/cffr.html> (Census
Bureau's summary table on annual federal expenditures;
2 yr. lag.)
-Congressional Budget Office's Current Budget Projections <http://www.cbo.gov/budget/budproj.shtml>
Industrial Sectors
- Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Index <http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/>
- Manufacturer's Orders <http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/m3/index.html>
- New Construction <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/c30.html>
- Housing Starts <http://www.census.gov/const/www/newresconstindex.html>
- Energy <http://www.eia.doe.gov/>
International Trade and Finance
- International Investment Position of the U.S. (Select issue of Survey
of Current Business; scroll to International Data: Investment Tables) <http://www.bea.gov/bea/pubs.htm>
Labor/Employment
- Employment & Unemployment <http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm>
- Wages, Earnings, & Benefits <http://www.bls.gov/bls/wages.htm>
-
Average Weekly Earnings <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t16.htm>
- Average Weekly Hours/Production <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm>
- Initial Claims <http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/main.htm> (ETA
Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims)
- Release Dates for Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic Indicators <http://www.bls.gov/schedule/schedule/by_prog/all_sched.htm>
Money, Credit, Interest Rates
- Bank Loans Commercial and Industrial <http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h8/>
- Consumer Credit - <http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/>
- Interest Rates - <http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/update/> Federal
Reserve: Selected rates: daily, weekly, monthly.
- Interest Rates - Dept. of the Treasury<http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/debt-management/interest- rate/index.html>
Prices/Inflation
- Inflation and Consumer Spending <http://www.bls.gov/bls/inflation.htm>
- Consumer Price Index <http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm>
- Producer Price Indexes <http://www.bls.gov/ppi/home.htm>
Stock Indexes
- BigCharts<http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/> The
Industries category gives Dow Jones Indexes by major industry, Markets
tracks major
market indexes.
- CNN Money <http://money.cnn.com/markets/us_markets.html>
- Common Stock Prices and Yields (Source: U. S. Congress; select current issue
of Economic Indicators and scroll to #31) <http://www.access.gpo.gov/indicators/index.html>
B. General Compilations of Economic Indicators
1. 
Census
Economic Briefing Rooms. <http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/briefroom/BriefRm>
This Bureau of the Census (U.S. Dept. of Commerce) site offers charts and data
on several areas of the economy on which it collects data. Contains current
and some historical data, definitions, FAQs, descriptions of methodology, and
analysis. Coverage of industrial, trade, and income related indicators.
2. Economic
Calendar. <http://biz.yahoo.com/calendar/>
This list, maintained by Yahoo, provides the government and commercial indicators
on the day of their release. It also offers links to definitions and
some historical data.
3. Econ
Data & Links.<http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~johnsh/econ/econ_EDL.htm>
Private site. Current economic statistics in table format. Where
feasible, links were chosen to provide access to time series or related data.
4. Economagic. <http://www.economagic.com/>
A private site offering over 100,000 economic time series data. Lauinger
does not subscribe to the forecasts or Excel files.
5. 
Economic
Indicators. Monthly. 1959-
. <http://www.access.gpo.gov/indicators/index..html> and
Gov. Docs. Desk Y4.Ec7:Ec7
Economic Indicators is a monthly publication of the U.S. Congress's
Council of Economic Advisors. It offers the complete range of economic indicators. Click
on Economic Indicators to browse individual issues and get the listing of indicator
links. Includes charts and tables. Data are usually given annually
for several years, along with monthly and quarterly data for the last three
years. Note: See Economic Indicators in GEORGE for
earlier holdings.
6. Leading
Economic Indicators (LEI) and Related Composites. <http://www.tcb-indicators.org/Search/us_search.cfm>
The latest news release from the Conference Board. It provides the composite
leading index and its ten components. Click on a country and then on Latest
Release.
7. Macroeconomic
Time Series Data Source Locator <http://busecon.lib.uchicago.edu/>
This University of Chicago service provides you with a list of macroeconomic
data sources categorized by year, geographic location and subject. Sources
include books, journals, CD-ROMs, and Internet sites. Most are available
in Lauinger Library.
8. 
STAT-USA. (Lauinger Library only)
Real time data from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, this online database provides
access to the full text of over 3,000 government economic and trade-related
sources, including numerous statistical series. Most files are updated
on the day of release, but some historical statistics are included. Parts
of this database may require a password; ask at the Reference Desk.
9.Survey
of Current Business <http://www.bea.gov/bea/pubs.htm> Monthly.
1921- . Gov. Docs. Desk
Data released by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis are
published here in greater detail. Below the list of articles are broad
topics for data in PDF format. Primarily covers NIPA (National Income
and Product Accounts) data and international trade statistics. Includes
personal income, industrial productivity, business sales and inventories, commodity
prices, producer prices, labor force, and earnings. Note: Check GEORGE for
print holdings.
10.White
House - Economic Statistics Briefing Room. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html>
This Web site provides convenient access to very current U.S. Federal economic
indicators. Links to sites with statistics on production, output, income,
employment, prices, money, and transportation. A good place to start
for the most current basic economic indicators for the U.S.
C. Key Government Web Sites
and Publications
11. CPI
Detailed Report Monthly. 1964- . <http://www.bls.gov/cpi/>
Contains detailed consumer price index information. Overall CPI figures
for all items are included as well as indexes for specific items such as dairy
products or footwear. Also has data for major U.S. cities and regions,
cross tabulated with population size classes. Note: Earlier years in Gov. Docs.
L2.38/3.
12. Current
Employment Statistics Monthly. 1955- . <http://www.bls.gov/ces/home.htm> and
Gov. Docs. Desk
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey of payroll records covers over
300,000 businesses on a monthly basis and provides detailed industry data on
employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls for the Nation. Employment & Earnings,
a monthly publication of the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
has current data on employment, hours and earnings for the U.S, the states,
and 200 localities. Note: Earlier years on second
floor.
13. Federal
Reserve's "Beige Book: Summary of Commentary on Current Economic
Conditions." <http://www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/1999/>
This is a narrative summary on the state of the economy from each Federal Reserve
Bank District. Offers reports from bank and branch directors and interviews
with key business people and economists, as well as market reports and other
sources.
14. Financial
Statistics from the Federal Reserve Board <http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/>
Current statistical releases from the Federal Reserve. Daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly, and annual data on interest rates, exchange rates, money
supply, consumer credit, flow of funds, etc. Historical data are available
on FRED <http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred/>.
15. Monthly
Labor Review. <http://stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm> Monthly.
1915- . Gov. Docs. Desk
Contains articles as well as a monthly statistics section on employment and
earnings. Covers less detail but a longer range of years than Employment
and Earnings (see #12). Note: Earlier years on second
floor.
16. National
Income and Product Accounts of the United States. <http://www.bea.gov/bea/dn/nipaweb/index.asp>
This web page maintained by the Bureau of Economic Advisors includes
the most recent estimates of gross
domestic product and its components. It also provides current compilations
of national income and product accounts (NIPA) statistics including measures
of economic activity such as personal consumption of goods and services, investment,
government purchases, and net exports. Historical data in print version
at Gov. Docs. Desk C59.11/5 Vol. 1 & 2.
17. Producer
Price Index. <http://stats.bls.gov/ppi/> Monthly
with annual supplement. 1978- . Gov. Docs. Desk
Includes producer price indexes, categorized by stage of processing, industry
groupings, and individual items. Note: Earlier years in Gov. Docs. L2.61:.
18. Treasury
Bulletin. <http://www.fms.treas.gov/bulletin/index.html> Quarterly. Gov.
Docs. MF. T 3.103/2:
This report of federal fiscal operations includes details of federal debt,
bonds, notes, market yield, and other federal financial obligations. Positions
of major foreign currencies are included, along with a profile of the domestic
economy including growth of GDP, federal deficit, and rate of personal savings.
19. Economic
and Budget Outlook. <http://www.cbo.gov/> Gov.
Docs. Y 10.13
This Congressional Budget Office publication gives annual projections for 8-10
years for several basic indicators including GDP, CPI, unemployment, and the
deficit. The previous calendar year and historical issues (print ed.)
are available in the Government Documents Dept.
20. Federal
Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Livingston Survey. <http://www.phil.frb.org/econ/liv/index.html>
The Livingston Survey was started in 1946 by the late economist Joseph A. Livingston,
and is the oldest continuous survey of economists' expectations. It summarizes
the forecasts of economists from industry, government, banking, and academia
on GDP growth rate, unemployment and consumer and producer inflation rates. See
also on the same page the Survey of Professional Forecasters.
21. Value
Line.
The "Selection and Opinion" report in Value Line includes annual
forecasts for the next four years and quarterly forecasts for the next seven
quarters, for GNP, GDP, prices, wages, production, income, interest rates,
and annualized rates of change. From the PDF versions of Value Line reports
(click on "Survey Issues"), select the latest "Selection
and Opinion" and use the Table of Contents to locate the most current
index. In the index under "Features & Reports" find the
page number for the most recent "Quarterly Economic Report" which
contains the forecasts. For help in locating Quarterly Economic Review
within Value Line, ask
a Reference Librarian. Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
| III. Recent and Historic Data |
22. Business
Statistics of the United States. Annual. 1953- . Ref. HC 101 .A1312
A basic desk reference of historical information on the U.S. economy; includes
updated information through the end of the latest full calendar year. Offers
3000 economic time series mainly from federal government sources. This
is a compilation of the monthly statistical tables of Survey of Current Business
(#9) and includes methodological notes. Current volume
has annual data for 1972 to end of last year. Use the index to
locate specific indicators. Note: Additional current copy at Gov. Docs. Desk
HC101.A1312; earlier editions are located in the stacks.
23. Historical
Statistics of the United States. Ref.
HA 202 .H57 2006
Includes most of the statistical series from Statistical Abstract (#25). The
electronic version is based on the five volume print edition of 2006 and contains
a wide range of historical data from the earliest times
to the present. Tables cover specific indicators such as employment, income,
saving, poverty, construction, housing, consumer price indexes, and others.
Additional print copy at Gov. Docs. Desk C3.134/2:C83.
24. Standard & Poor's
Statistical Service. Ref. Desk HG 4921 .S76
A compendium of current and historical statistics on the stock market and on
U.S. economics in general. Includes monthly figures for interest rates,
the composite index of leading indicators, cost of living indexes, and U. S.
government securities. The "Current Statistics" section brings the other
sections up-to-date on a monthly and annual basis.
25. Statistical
Abstract of the United States. Annual.
1879- . <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab.gov> and Ref.
Desk HA 202
A well indexed, comprehensive collection of statistics in tabular format. Includes
basic statistics for a wide range of economic indicators. The index leads
to specific table numbers. Each table lists the source of the statistics
for further reference. Note: Web site offers some previous years. Current
copies are at the Ref. Desk and Gov. Docs. Desk C3.134; earlier years in Ref.
HA 202 and Gov. Docs. C3.134. Also available on CD-ROM in Government
Documents.. The CD-ROM version allows you to open tables in a spreadsheet program
such as Excel.
26. Atlas
of Economic Indicators: a Visual Guide to Market Forces and the Federal Reserve. Ref.
HC 59 .C28 1992
A guide to economic indicators which effect the major financial markets. A
narrative discussion of each indicator, emphasizing how and why it influences
the stock and bond markets and the dollar, is supplemented with charts and
graphs.
27. Dictionary
of U.S. Government Statistical Terms. Gov. Docs. Desk HA 17
.D53 1991
Gives brief definitions of statistical terms and concepts used in federal government
publications. Indicates which agency(ies) uses the term and how each
agency defines it. Especially useful for terms where the government usage
differs from the definition found in a basic economics or statistics dictionary
or varies from agency to agency.
28. Economic
Indicators Handbook: Time Series, Conversions, Documentation. Ref. HC 101 .E385 2002
Contains national income and product accounts, including Gross National
Product and Gross Domestic Product, composite indexes of indicators
and subcomponents, Consumer Price Index for 26 cities as well as
United States as a whole. Historical data goes back to at least 1951
when available and some to 1869.
29.Finding
and Using Economic Information. Ref. 106 .J63 1993
Although not limited to economic indicators, this book offers in-depth explanations
of the data that comprise the indicators. Arranged by category, i.e., price
indices, labor markets, etc., there is an overview of the data and their significance,
followed by a description of the data series in a standardized format which
includes the source and release dates.
30. Guide
to Economic Indicators. Ref. Desk HC 103 .F9 2006
Includes information on over 60 economic indicators for the U.S. as well as
a brief discussion of interpreting economic indicators generally. Topics
include labor, prices, production, housing, and economic well being. The
content, availability, accuracy, and relevance of each indicator is discussed.
31. Handbook
of United States Economic and Financial Indicators. Ref.
HC 106.8 .O47 2000
Defines over 200 economic and financial indicators. Each entry includes
a brief description of the indicator, its derivation, how it is used, and its
publisher or compiler.
32. U.S.
By the Numbers: Figuring What's Left, Right, and Wrong With America
State By State. Ref. HC 106.82 .K43 2000
Detailed look at each of the 50 states of the U.S., using a variety
of economic indicators.
Please
send us your comments or suggestions
Content updated: 12/07
jc
Links updated: 12/07
jc
I.
Current Indicators