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Economic Research

Understanding US Economic Statistics Fifth Edition
Revised

Important disclosures appear on the back cover of this publication.

Goldman Sachs US Economic Research
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Understanding US Economic Statistics

August 2001

Goldman Sachs US Economic Research

Table of Contents
I. II. III. IV. V. Introduction A Primer on Seasonal Adjustments Which Economic Data Have the Biggest Impact on Financial Asset Prices?The Goldman Sachs Financial Conditions Index Employment, National Output, and Income The Employment Situation Unemployment Insurance Claims Challenger, Gray and Christmas Layoff Announcements Help-Wanted Advertising Index Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Personal Income Corporate Profits Orders, Sectoral Production, and Inventories National Purchasing Managers’ (NAPM) Survey NAPM Nonmanufacturing...