Focus on Survey-Based Inflation Expectations

Read this Economic Brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond to learn about consumer-based surveys of inflation expectations and use the FRED graph below to compare survey responses with the actual consumer price index inflation rate.

From the FRED Blog

The post “How to measure inflation expectations” discusses how the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis uses data from the U.S. Treasury Department to calculate several breakeven inflation rates.

Quiz Yourself on Inflation Expectations

Q1. Hover the mouse pointer over the January 2023 date on the graph to read the data. What is the average expected inflation rate one year from that date?

Q2. As of January 2023, which is lower, the 2-year expected inflation or 3-year expected inflation?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

Q1. Compare the average 1-year inflation rate expected on February 2021 (the green line) with the annual consumer price index inflation rate registered on February 2022 (the blue line). Which one was higher?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn how the graph was created.

Q1. The graph shows an index measuring consumer expectations about future inflation rates in the euro area (19 countries). Increasing index values represent higher inflation expectations and decreasing index values represent lower inflation expectations. As of December 2022, are inflation expectations in the euro area (19 countries) rising or falling?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.

Focus on Recognizing Diversity in Data

Earn a free set of digital badges by demonstrating your skills and experience in recognizing diversity in data. Digital badges are a great way to show your ongoing commitment to learning. Add them to your email signature or share them through social media

From the FRED Blog

The post “Comparing unemployment rates by race: The Great Recession vs. COVID-19” uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to describe the labor market experiences of different racial and ethnic groups during the 2007-2009 and 2020 recessions

Use This Lesson Plan To Teach the Composition Effect

This lesson plan explains why the composition effect makes it difficult to describe diverse populations with a single statistic. It includes prompts for both in-class and out-of-class assignments.

Focus on Real Wages

This Page One Economics essay discusses how price indexes can be used to transform nominal wages and interest rates into real wages and rates—that is, inflation-adjusted values. The essay includes multiple-choice questions suitable for both in-class and out-of-class assignments.

From the FRED Blog

The post “How inflation helps the stock market set records” uses data from the Nikkei Research Institute and the OECD to adjust the value of the headline Japanese stock market index for inflation and discuss its evolution over time.

Quiz Yourself on Inflation

Q1. What are the units of the global price of poultry data?

Q2. What are the units of the global price of food data?

Q3. Between early 2020 and late 2022, which global food prices increased the most?

Q1. Since 1982-1984, which price category has registered the highest inflation?

Q2. As of October 2022, which price category registered the highest inflation?

Q1. Between January 2020 and November 2022, when was year-over-year monthly consumer price inflation for used cars and trucks in the U.S. the highest?

Q2. As of November 2022, did the price of used cars and trucks increase or decrease relative to their price a year earlier?

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.

Focus on Income Inequality

This Page One Economics essay discusses how income and wealth inequality are measured, what drives differences among individuals and households, and how growing inequality may affect the overall economy. The essay includes multiple-choice questions suitable for both in-class and out-of-class assignments.

From the FRED Blog

The post “Measuring income inequality as a ratio” compares the average income of the highest earners to the average income of the lowest earners for each U.S. county over the 2014 to 2019 period.

Quiz Yourself on Income and Wealth Inequality

The FRED map above shows the Gini Index, a measure of income inequality, by nation in 2018.

Q1. In what country was income inequality the highest?

Q2. Name a country with a Gini Index almost identical to that of the United States.

The FRED graph above shows the shares of net worth held by different groups of United States households sorted by their wealth.

Q1. In 2021, which wealth percentiles held the largest share of total net worth in the U.S.?

Q2. In 2021, what share of total net worth did the poorest 50% of U.S. households hold?

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.

Focus on Economic Output

This assignment provides instructions on building the graph below and includes writing prompts for out-of-class assignments.

From the FRED Blog

The post “Women in the sports industry: Did Title IX make a difference?” compares the employment figures for men and women in sports between 2000 and 2019.

Storytelling with Data and FRED Interactive Modules

Seasonality: Learn how to use FRED® to visualize seasonal patterns in data. The FRED Interactive modules can be embedded in your learning management system.

Quiz Yourself on the Economics of Sports

The graph above shows the total revenue of the three types of business establishments classified as “Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation” by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Q1. Between 1998 and 2019, which type of establishment recorded the largest growth in total revenue?

Q2. In 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which type of establishment recorded the smallest decline in total revenue?

The graph above shows the monthly retail sales in sporting goods stores (blue line) and their annual value (red line) reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Q1. Between 1992 and 2021, during what month of the year are retail sales regularly the highest?

Q2. Between 1992 and 2021, during what month of the year are retail sales frequently the second highest?

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.