Question
Each Data Buffet time series has a textual description that includes, at its end and in parentheses, the measurement units (currency, rates, adjustment, etc.). What do the abbreviations mean?
Answer
Where do I see the description?
The series description appears in View mode, Basket output, and Mnemonic 411. When configuring a basket (i.e., its optional header fields), we strongly recommend activating the description because it contains essential information about the series.
Examples
The time series IRFEDD.US has a description that reads "Interest Rates: Federal Funds Effective Rate, (% P.A., NSA)." There's a text-descriptor with category prefix at the front, followed by the parenthesized unit-descriptor. You can read this description as:
The federal funds effective rate is an interest rate; the series values are expressed in percent per annum, not seasonally adjusted.
We indicate currency values using unambiguous ISO 4217 codes, rather than local or journalistic symbols. Currency levels are in nominal terms unless otherwise indicated; if in inflation-adjusted terms, that's denoted by the unit-descriptor, not by the word "real." (N.B.: Although "real" and "inflation adjusted" are synonymous, there's a methodological difference between "constant" and "chained" values.)
- (Mil. USD) = millions of U.S. dollars = current, nominal
- (Bil. Ch. 2000 EUR, NSA) = billions of chained year-2000 euros = chained, real, inflation-adjusted
The following are equivalent:
- Bil. 2005 USD
- Bil. 2005 $
- Bil. 05$
- "Billions of inflation-adjusted U.S. dollars in year-2005 terms"
Anatomy
The units-descriptor may have one or two segments, separated by commas. Annual series usually have just one segment. Sub-annual series have at least two, where the second describes the adjustment (if any) that has been applied to the values in the series.
The first segment describes the base measurement unit, which can help you understand (if the text-description doesn't otherwise specify) if the values are levels, rates, indexes, etc. As necessary, there may be a multiplier or scaler that multiplies the base unit, a comparison interval symbol (month-over-month, etc.), an aggregation symbol (moving average, year-to-date), and a measurement point (end of period, etc.).
Listing
Please note that a degree of inconsistency exists among our unit-descriptors , and you will see alternative symbols denoting the same measurement unit. In this listing, deprecated symbols are marked in the third column; we are gradually replacing these with standardized symbology.
| First segment of units-descriptor |
|
Second segment of units-descriptor |
| Abbv. |
Description |
Dep. |
|
Abbv. |
Description |
Dep. |
| |
Multipliers |
|
|
|
Single adjustments |
|
| Hnd. |
Hundred (10^2) |
|
|
NSA |
Not seasonally adjusted, unadjusted, original |
|
| Ths. |
Thousand (10^3) |
|
|
SA |
Seasonally adjusted, deseasonalized |
|
| 10 Ths. |
Ten thousand (10^4) |
|
|
AR |
Annualized rate |
|
| Mil. |
Million (10^6) |
|
|
CDA |
Calendar day adjusted |
|
| Bil. |
Billion (10^9) |
|
|
WDA |
Working day adjusted |
|
| Tril. |
Trillion (10^12) |
|
|
|
Compound adjustments |
|
| |
|
|
|
NSAAR |
Not seasonally adjusted at annualized rate |
|
| |
Default units |
|
|
SAAR |
Seasonally adjusted at annualized rate |
|
| # |
Number, single items, persons, etc. |
|
|
CDASA |
Calendar adjusted and seasonally adjusted |
|
| (blank) |
or |
x |
|
CDA & SA |
or |
x |
| |
|
|
|
WDASA |
Working-day adjusted and seasonally adjusted |
|
| |
Physical dimensions |
|
|
WDA & SA |
or |
x |
| Bbl |
Barrels |
|
|
|
|
|
| L |
Liters |
|
|
Modifier segments |
| m² |
Square meters |
|
|
Abbv |
Description |
|
| m^2 |
or |
x |
|
|
Time basis |
|
| Sqm |
or |
x |
|
P.A. |
Per annum |
|
| ft² |
Square feet |
|
|
YTD |
Year-to-date |
|
| Sq ft |
or |
x |
|
YTD(Apr) |
Year-to-date, year begins in April |
|
| |
|
|
|
3-mo MA |
3-month moving average |
|
| |
Time units |
|
|
|
Measurement point or interval |
|
| Hr |
Hour |
|
|
12-mo Ending |
12-month rolling period |
|
| Wk |
Week |
|
|
|
E.g. FBKPY.US |
|
| Mo |
Month |
|
|
EOP
END |
End of period
|
x |
| Yr |
Year |
|
|
AVE |
Average over period |
|
| |
|
|
|
SUM |
Sum over period |
|
| |
Currency units (ISO 4217) |
|
|
|
Comparison interval |
|
| USD |
U.S. dollar |
|
|
W/W |
Week-over-week |
|
| EUR |
Euro |
|
|
M/M |
Month-over-month |
|
| JPY |
Japanese yen |
|
|
Q/Q |
Quarter-over-quarter |
|
| GBP |
British pound sterling |
|
|
Y/Y |
Year-over-year |
|
| CAD |
Canadian dollar |
|
|
|
|
|
| CNY |
Chinese yuan renminbi |
|
|
|
|
|
| … |
Etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Currency units (symbols) |
|
|
|
|
|
| $ |
U.S. dollar |
x |
|
|
|
|
| C$ |
Canadian dollar |
x |
|
|
|
|
| |
Nominal vs. real (inflation-adjusted) |
|
|
|
|
|
| XYZ |
Nominal XYZ (current) |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2005 XYZ |
XYZ with 2005 fixed reference year |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ch. XYZ |
Chained XYZ with unspecified reference year |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ch. 2005 XYZ |
Chained XYZ with 2005 reference year |
|
|
|
|
|
| 05$ |
2005 U.S. dollars |
x |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Percentage units and rates |
|
|
|
|
|
| % |
Percent of whole |
|
|
|
|
|
| % P.A. |
Percent per annum (interest rate) |
|
|
|
|
|
| % |
or |
x |
|
|
|
|
| Per 1000 population |
E.g. VS%LBTHUA.IMEX |
|
|
|
|
|
| % W/W |
Week-over-week percent change |
|
|
|
|
|
| # M/M |
Month-over-month level change |
|
|
|
|
|
| % Q/Q |
Quarter-over-quarter percent change |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bil. USD Y/Y |
Year-over-year currency level change |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Indexed units |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index |
For specifics, see Mnemonic 411 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index 2000=100 |
Base period year 2000, base value 100 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index 3Jan2000=85.17 |
Base period year 1/3/2000, base value 85.17 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index 1982-84=100 |
Base value of 100 is average over 1982-1984 interval |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index prev. mo.=100 |
Relative to previous month |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Note: similar to % M/M |
|
|
|
|
|
Index CPPY=100
Index corr. per. |
Relative to corresponding period of previous year |
|
|
|
|
|
| prev. yr.=100 |
Note: similar to % Y/Y |
x |
|
|
|
|
| |
Diffusion indexes, etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Index=0 |
Central value=0, improvement>0, deterioration |
|
|
|
|
|
Bal. of Op.
Balance |
Balance of opinion
|
x |
|
|
|
|
| |
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rank |
Numeric ranking |
|
|
|
|
|
| (list) |
E.g., NBERRECM.US: 0=Not recession, 1=recession |
|
|
|
|
|