Frank Badillo
This site addresses a basic need I have encountered as an applied economist (see my bio on LinkedIn). In short, it should be easier to use economic data, from different sources, and across many purposes.
The ways to make this easier are relatively new and evolving. For example, data visualization solutions have gained traction only since about 2013, when Tableau went public. And it was not until 2015 that Microsoft responded with the launch of Power BI, which has changed significantly over time. (More here about rankings of these solutions.)
Most workplaces have been slow to adopt these solutions. My response has been to develop them here in my own workspace where I can draw on them for whatever role I might have. And I am sharing my outputs publicly with only one condition: If you use my content, become a registered user (SIGN-UP HERE.).
Please note that the information on this website represents my own personal perspectives. This site does not reflect the views of any organization I am affiliated with currently or previously.
If you would like to contact me, please do so at: frankbadillo@macrosavvy.com.
Recent Posts
The holiday sales track record over 25+ years
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS Volatility is one of the characteristics of holiday retail sales—with the focus here on stores that sell gift-type goods. These stores, in other words, exclude car dealers, gas stations, restaurants, food, and drug stores. More specifically,…
The pandemic’s historic toll on jobs
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS The pandemic caused U.S. job losses that are historic for their speed and scale. The impact is notable in various ways: The 22 million jobs lost in March and April of 2020 were the most jobs…
ShortViews: Insights into recent trends
GDP, jobs, prices, retail, and e-commerce sales are tracked as key measures of the economy in this data dashboard — and updated as reported by government sources. More specifically, the breakouts by measure include: GDP: Consumer spending, investment, government spending, exports…
E-commerce by category over 20+ years
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS Retail e-commerce data show a dramatic shift online by category over 20-plus years — but nearly as insightful is how the picture is pieced together from U.S. Census Bureau data. The e-commerce data bring together three…
Phillips Curve: An inflation-unemployment trade-off?
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS The belief in an inflation-unemployment trade-off is ingrained in macroeconomics, financial markets, and media. The trade-off is often expressed in various ways: Markets fear that if the unemployment rate gets too low, then inflation will rise….
Wages finally eclipse prior peak reached in 1972
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS Wages of U.S. workers—adjusted for inflation—have finally eclipsed the peak reached in 1972. The 1972 peak was eclipsed in 2020 partly because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Business boosted wages in the face of…
Historically low price inflation (until 2021)
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS For nearly 30 years until 2021, price inflation remained relatively low. That represented the longest low-inflation period over the more than 70 years that U.S consumer prices have been tracked. Despite the year-end surge, the inflation…
Economic booms and busts since the Great Depression
GO HERE TO PRINT CHARTS Economic hard times often draw comparisons to the Great Depression, but the pandemic-induced recession of 2020 may be the first to merit some amount of comparison — at least based on measures of GDP. The economic…
A Better Measure of Confidence — Especially for Retail and Consumer Goods
Today we call it confidence or sentiment. It has also been famously described as “animal spirits” and more recently tied to matters of “trust” and “fairness” in the economy.¹·² Whatever you call it, there are psychological or behavioral factors that affect…
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