Handbook of Key Economic Indicators (Hardcover)

by R. Mark Rogers (Author) "The first major economic release each month is the employment report prepared by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)..." (more)
Key Phrases: auto sales data, housing permit series, largest subcomponent, United States, Federal Reserve, Census Bureau (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Rogers, an analyst and economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, has written a much-needed guide to economic indicators. Rogers goes into great detail explaining the frequency of various indicators, the methodologies used, the weighting factors, and the formulas used for the calculations. The bases for many indicators have been revised recently, and many more will be revised in the coming years. Rogers provides comparative notes between the old and new indicators to help the researcher formulate a consistent series. Topics covered by the book include employment, personal income, retail sales, auto sales, the consumer price index and producer price index, industrial production, manufacturers orders, inventories, international trade, construction, gross domestic product, and forecasts and composite indexes. This book should serve as a companion to the Labor Department's Handbook of Methods, which outlines and explains the methodology used in labor statistics. Highly recommended for special, academic, and public libraries.
C. Christopher Pavek, Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett, Inc. Information Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
This handbook is geared to analysts and traders who need quick access to data relating to key U.S. economic indicators. It considers what indicators mean and how they are calculated, compiled, and reported to enhance informed financial decision making. Drawing from his many years of experience as an analyst and macro-economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Rogers deals with such topics as employment, personal income, retail sales, new auto sales, the consumer price index, the producer price index, industrial production and capacity utilization rates, manufacturers' orders, business inventories and sales, the purchasing managers' index, monthly international trade, monthly construction indicators, gross domestic product, and the U.S. Commerce Department's index of leading indicators and other composite indexes. Methodologies behind the indicators are addressed, and suggestion regarding what to look for with each month's statistics appear throughout. Although this book is written primarily for market analysts and investors who desire to improve their expertise and ability to forecast trends in the U.S. economy, government and industry researchers, along with selected academics, also will find it useful. Joseph Leonard --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (June 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070540454
• ISBN-13: 978-0070540453
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #825,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for market analysts and conscientious researchers!, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

The Handbook of Key Economic Indicators clearly stands head and shoulders above competing texts in its depth. The first thing I like about this book is that it provides detailed information on important data series and is an invaluable resource to those tracking the nearly daily release of non-financial data. In addition to providing the necessary methodological background for each indicator, the work explains how to interpret each indicator and specifically suggests what to look for when analyzing data reports. I also found that the explanations of the numerous potential sources of monthly volatility are extremely useful- the explanations are clear indications of the author's extensive experience with the data. I was glad to see the Handbook isn't just a rehash of the first edition--it is very current and includes important new sections on the 1996 Boskin Report, the 1998 revisions to CPI (including the impact on inflation growth rates), and the switch in real GDP to a chained dollar basis and how one works with the new data. What I like about this book is that it not only covers the basics in news release interpretation that market analysts want but also that it is an excellent reference for researchers who need a thorough understanding of the major non-financial economic indicators. What sets this work apart is that it has the depth and coverage of methodologies and special topics that similar texts do not have. For the analyst or researcher working with these complicated and often misunderstood data series, I would highly recommend this book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive, insightful look at key economic indicators, September 23, 1998

By A Customer

R. Mark Rogers has written a comprehensive, thorough overview of the key U.S. economic indicators. His book would be particularly useful for analysts new to the business, or to seasoned analysts who need to know more about the nitty gritty behind the numbers. Rogers' handbook is filled with more technical information that some people will ever need, and some will find the level of detail intimidating and somewhat cumbersome. However, the compilation of all this information in one source is extremely valuable, and is particularly useful for those who want a deeper understanding of what the economic data say. The level of technical sophistication is what sets this book apart from others. For those who want to understand more about U.S. economic data than the sound bytes on the news or the quotes in the paper provide, this is the book to read.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, very technical, but NOT user friendly., August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This work is highly technical. It provides the genesis and sources for all the leading U.S. economic indicators. A dweeb's delight - however it lacks meaningful illustrations. A few charts were provided, but - like the dismal science, the actual text, tables, and raw data are dull, drab, and unimaginative. For my money, a far more "user-friendly" overview is necessary. This book needs some meaningful graphs, colorful illustrations, and an anectode or two. It could have been made far simpler, and easier to understand. As is, the book has only limited value - especially to the investing public. It's a shame the author went to all that work compiling a bunch of data, but, like most dweeb economists, he doesn't effectively communicate.