Lecture series
Reading economic indicators: inflation, growth, the external balance
How to read the economic statistics that shape lending: who produces them and to what standards, inflation and real interest rates, growth and GDP, the external balance and reserves, and how to read them together, with dated examples from Southeast Asia set against other regions. Five lessons.
1 of 5 lessons published. Lesson 1 is free to read.
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- 01Where economic indicators come from: producers, standards and release calendarsAn economic indicator is only as useful as the reader's knowledge of who made it, how and when. This lesson explains who produces the main indicators, the international principles and data standards they follow, how statistical systems in East Asia and the Pacific compare with other regions, and how to read a release, including what happens when a first estimate is revised.
- 02Inflation: price indices, core measures and real interest rates
- 03Growth: GDP, real and nominal, and how to read quarterly rates
- 04The external balance: current account, reserves and external debt
- 05Reading indicators together: what a lender watches
Quiz and certificate 5 questions; those on lesson 1 are free to try. Read every published lesson and score 80% or more for a certificate of completion.
Take the quizSoutheast Asia financial indicators →Calendar: meetings, policy decisions and data releases →Policy rates and monetary frameworks →Household finances: prices, rates and wages, and what borrowers can repay (course) →All courses →