Question
What is the "Reference Files" section of DataBuffet.com? Where can I find forecast narratives, geography tables, industrial classifications and other code lists?
Answer
Written documentation is divided across several sections of Data Buffet, including Mnemonic 411, Data Buffet News, and the Reference Files listing.
How do I get there?
Go to DataBuffet.com. From the Tools menu, pick Reference Files. This will open a new tab in the large right-hand pane.
What does it contain?
Classifications - Spreadsheets with official industrial classifications (ANZSIC, HS, JSIC, NACE, NAICS, SIC, SITC, etc.) and the Moody's Analytics industry services aggregations.
Forecast documentation and Scenario descriptions - Methodologies for our U.S. geographic, U.S. housing, and global forecasts models; scenario narratives (assumptions) that describe the baseline and alternative scenarios.
- These are also linked from the Forecast Summary table (see related article).
- Narratives are also linked from Forecast catalogs via the Geo Wizard.
- The assumptions change with each monthly vintage of the forecast; for previous editions, please contact Client Services.
Geographies - Spreadsheets that enumerate and correlate U.S. geographic areas, including metropolitan areas and ZIP Code areas; global subnational areas; Moody's Analytics global metropolitan areas
Other - Standard economic abbreviations, coding systems, CPI and PPI mnemonics, availability of data at the ZIP code level, the layout of the various file formats available for baskets, etc. White papers; BLS codes for CPI, PPI, labor force, occupations.
Regulatory documentation - Validation of the Moody's Analytics macroeconomic and subnational forecasting processes per FRB and OCC guidelines.
Variable listing - Lists of series available in select database products. These files contain millions of records; as a general rule, the catalog itself is the only definitive listing of available series.