Finance 30220

Macroeconomic Analysis

"...it is the econometric tradition, or more precisely, the 'theory of economic policy' based on this tradition, which is in need of major revision.  More particularly, I shall argue that the features which lead to success in short term forecasting are unrelated to quantitative policy evaluation, that the major econometric models are designed to perform the former task only, and that simulations using these models can, in principle, provide no useful information as to the actual consequences of alternative economic policies."         

-Robert E. Lucas Jr. ("Econometric Policy Evaluations: A Critique", 1976

Course Material  

PowerPoint Slide Shows

Quizzes/ Exams

 

     
Key Economic Indicators
  Period Latest Mkt. Exp. Prev.
Consumer Confidence Dec 64.5 58.0 55.2
Retail sales Nov 0.2% 0.6% 0.6%
GDP Q2(F) 1.8% 2.0% 2.0%
GDP Deflator Q2(F) 2.6% 2.5% 2.5%
ISM Index Dec 53.9 53.2 52.7
Unemployment Rate Dec 8.5% 8.7%

8.7.%

Non Farm Payrolls  Dec 200K 150K 100K
CPI Inflation Nov 0.0% 0.1% -0.1%
Core CPI Inflation Nov 0.2% 0.1% 0.1%
Treasury Budget August -$137B -$139B -$150B

Data Links

 

Useful Articles

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