Finding Economic Releases from the US Government

It has been a while since we did a blog posting on finding those economic indicators from the US government. Today's stock plunge has a number of possible reasons, but today's numbers may or may not have helped. There were a number of releases in the past two days and they all came from different government web sites. So here they are with some hints:

• Department of Commerce numbers:
  The Department of Commerce usually releases its numbers through the Census Bureau. They have an Economic Indicators page, where you can find two from this week "Manufacturer's' Shipments, Inventories and Data" and "Construction Spending."

• Department of Labor numbers:
  The Department of Labor releases numbers on it's own, but it also has numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Today's "Unemployment Insurance Claims" comes from the Department of Labor page, whereas the "Productivity and Costs" comes from BLS. Tomorrow's "Employment Situation" is back on the Bureau of Labor Statistics page.

• Federal Reserve Bank numbers:
  I admit this is not the first place you might look for economic information, but eight times a year the Federal Reserve releases the "Beige Book." This book "gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources."
  

Still want more numbers? Well, if you are sure, check out the library's guide.