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Foster Business Library research guides are aimed at University of Washington students, faculty, and staff, highlighting resources available to them; users not currently affiliated with the university may be unable to access some of these resources.
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Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of over fifty databases on its homepage; see under Databases. For a complete list of Foster databases, see the List of All Business Databases. Access to these databases from off campus requires that you first go to the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. These resources may not be accessed from off campus except by those with a valid UW Net ID and password. For more information on Foster business databases, click Databases, A-Z. For information on which Foster business databases to use, see the Database Index. For information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, see Database Access. For guidelines on responsible database usage, see Database Usage.

  • Conference Board Business Knowledge Research:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, under List of All Business Databases. This searchable database of full-text research reports, published by the Conference Board, is focused on major issues in business and economics. For a 37-page PDF cumulative index to this database, click here.

    See their Economics page for the ten most recently issued economic indicators plus links to other recent economic news of note.

  • EIU Online:   One of the world's top sources for country intelligence, the Economist Intelligence Unit employs 500 analysts who research almost 200 nations. This database provides online access to a wide range of EIU publications, often in both HTML and PDF formats.

    For current economic conditions in the United States (or in many other countries), see the monthly Country Report (with chapters on economic structure, outlook, economic policy, domestic economy, and foreign trade and payments), the annual Country Profile (with chapters on the economy, economic structure, external structure, and various economic reference tables), and the annual Country Commerce (see economic conditions, foreign investment, etc.).

  • Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Databases. This database provides online full text for the following S&P publications:   Bond Guide; Corporation Records; Dividend Record; Earnings Guide; Industry Surveys; Mutual Fund Reports; The Outlook; Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives; Security Dealers of North America; Stock Guide; and Stock Reports.

    This database is also a good source for economic news, analysis, and information; see the monthly Trends and Projections, their current and archived Economic Insight, Economic Brief, and Economic Calendar.

  • STAT-USA:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Business Databases. In this database are business, economic, and trade statistics and data from the U.S. Department of Commerce and other Federal government sources.

    Go to State of the Nation for the latest economic news and releases plus economic indicators, housing and construction, employment, manufacturing and industry, monetary statistics, and economic policy.

    Web Resources:

    Unlike library databases, Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources. For a subject index to web resources, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage.

    National:

    Updated Hourly, Daily or Nearly Daily:

  • Business Full Coverage--U.S. Economy:   Yahoo! Daily News for business includes Business Full Coverage webpages for four dozen important business topics of high interest. These full coverage reports collect articles, webpages, and links to relevant organizations, audio, video, and recent news stories. One of those topics is the U.S. Economy but there are also similar webpages for the Asian Economy, the Chinese Economy, the Euro, the Federal Reserve, the Global Economy, Gold, the Japanese Economy, Stock Markets, and U.S. Currency.

  • Economic Releases:   This National Bureau of Economic Research page is updated daily, Monday through Friday, and provides links to over a hundred economic releases, from Average Annual Pay By State and Industry to Workers on Flexible and Shift Schedules, from a wide variety of sources, with a great variance in publication schedules, from daily to annually, with both the latest and archived releases.

  • EconomicIndicators.Gov:   "Economic Indicators.gov is brought to you by the Economics and Statistics Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Our mission is to provide timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau."

  • Market Digest:   This Yahoo! site provides updates on various aspects of the stock market, as they are taking place, roughly on the half hour, as informal narrative descriptions of movements in the equity markets and the reasons behind those movements. The source of information is Briefing.Com.

  • State of the U.S. Economy:   This Washington Post special section, usually updated daily, provides links to recent Post articles about the state of the U.S. economy, collected in one location, with links to Associated Press' articles on the same topic, and to articles about foreign economic news and news from the Fed. There are links as well to articles by the Post's macroeconomics, economic policy, and Federal Reserve reporters.

  • U.S. Economy:   This website, maintained by Stern School of Business professor Nouriel Roubini, may be found by going to the Hot Topics column and going to the Hot Topics column for the U.S. Economy section, usually updated daily, with links to the latest news, briefings and policy readings, web resources and academic research, as well as opinion pieces and editorials.

    Updated Weekly:

  • Economic Snapshots:   This site, from the Economic Policy Institute, provides brief reports on various aspects of the national economy. Go to Web Features and then to Economic Snapshots. These snapshots are produced weekly, on Wednesdays. In addition, this site offers state data, on an annual basis.

    Updated Monthly:

  • Consumer Comfort Index:   This site, from ABC News and Money Magazine, provides monthly polling results on consumers' ratings of the economy, personal finances and the buying climate, based on telephone interviews with about 1,000 adults nationwide each month.

  • Consumer Confidence Index:   This site, from the private research organization, the Conference Board, offers press releases on a monthly basis on consumer confidence, usually with references to past index levels and to the next six months of consumer expectations.

  • Economic Indicators:   This monthly publication, prepared for the Joint Economic Committee by the Council of Economic Advisors, presents the latest data on the nation's total output income and spending, employment, unemployment and wages, production and business activity, prices, money, credit and security markets, federal finance, and international statistics. Also available, in print, in the Foster Business Library Reference collection, under the call number: HC101 .E35.

  • The Economic Indicators:   This National Association of Realtors site provides monthly economic indicators for consumer confidence, construction spending, consumer price index, employment, gross domestic product, housing starts, industrial production, jobless claims, manufacturing activity, new home sales, personal consumption, personal income, producer prices, and retail sales, with each indicator in a one-page PDF report. The association also issues a monthly Economic Outlook for the U.S., with GDP, CPI, unemployment, Fed funds rates, mortgage rates, and housing indicators (also a one-page PDF report).

  • Economic trends:   This monthly publication, available online in both HTML and PDF formats from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, provides up-to-date timely information on a dozen topics:   The Economy in Perspective, Inflation and Prices, Monetary Policy, Money and Financial Markets, International Developments, Economic Activity, Labor Markets, Union Memberships, Credit Card Use In Ohio, Commercial Banks, Savings and Loan Associations, and Foreign Central Banks.

  • FedViews:   This site, from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, provides narrative views on the current economy and the outlook for the future. The comments are designed to accompany nine charts (in PDF format) but function well without recourse to the charts. FedViews is produced monthly, normally on the Friday or Monday following the second Thursday of each month. In addition, this site offers Economic Letters which provide commentary on current economic topics in the form of short essays.

  • ISM Reports on Business:   This monthly collection of reports is provided by the Institute for Supply Management, formerly known as the National Association of Purchasing Management, a prime source for information and data about economic activity as revealed by such measures as ordering backlogs, supplier deliveries, manufacturing employment, inventories, prices, exports and imports, etc., for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing.

  • Survey of Current Business:   This Bureau of Economic Analysis site offers an online version of the monthly print publication Survey of Current Business which provides information on the current U.S. business situation, including GDP, the U.S. international investment position, direct investment positions, U.S. international transactions, etc. The chapters of this online report are in PDF format.

  • U.S. Economy At A Glance:   Updated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this website provides data on the U.S. unemployment rate, change in payroll employment, average hourly earnings, the consumer price index, producer price index, U.S. import price index, employment cost index, and productivity, with both recent and historical data. This site also provides similar data for each U.S. state, for U.S. regions, and for U.S. industries.

    Updated Eight Times Per Year:

  • Current Economic Conditions:   Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year by the Federal Reserve Board. "Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business ontacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector." These reports cover current conditions in various industries as well as consumer spending, labor markets, wages and prices, and banking and finance.

    Updated Quarterly:

  • CEO Economic Outlook Survey:   "Since 2002, Business Roundtable has surveyed its membership - the CEOs of approximately 160 of America's leading companies - on a quarterly basis regarding their expectations for the short-term economic outlook. The CEO Economic Outlook Survey results have provided a unique perspective on economic projections based on what CEOs embed in their business plans."

  • Overview of the Economy:   This Bureau of Economic Analysis site provides a quick numerical summary of the U.S. economy, each quarter, with the percent change in annual rate, for production, purchases by type, prices, personal income, federal and state government finances, inventories, and balance of payments in over 30 subcategories. Periods covered are past two years, with the past six quarters itemized. This site provides just numbers, no narrative.

  • Survey of Professional Forecasters:   This site, from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, supplies a quarterly "survey of macroeconomic forecasts in the United States. The survey began in 1968 and was conducted by the American Statistical Association and the National Bureau of Economic Research. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia took over the survey in 1990." One of the best known parts of this forecast is the Anxious Index, which assesses the probability, according to professional forecasters, of a decline in real GDP and a shrinking in the overall economy, in the following quarter.

    Updated Semiannually:

  • Census Bureau Economic Programs:   This U.S. Census Bureau site is difficult to categorize:   it offers a huge range of economic data on companies, industries, people, households, labor force, prices, jobs, wholesale trade, foreign trade, etc, much of it produced annually, but some of it also available quarterly or monthly. There are also links to economic reporting programs in other agencies.

  • World Economic Outlook:   The International Monetary Fund issues this publication usually semiannually, in April and September, with "analysis and projections of economic developments at the global level, in major country groups (classified by region, stage of development, etc.), and in many individual countries. It focuses on major economic policy issues as well as on the analysis of economic developments and prospects." The United States' economy is one of its major focus points. These reports are in PDF format. The latest edition of the World Economic Outlook is also available in the Foster Business Library reference collection.

    Updated Annually:

  • Development Report Card for the States:   This annual publication from the Corporation for Enterprise Development is in its fourteenth year, rating the economies of all fifty states and providing detailed business and economic data for the country and its fifty states. With more than 70 indicators that measure everything from human resources to digital infrastructure, this publication's new on-line format allows users to customize data and generate targeted reports.

  • Outlook (New York Times):   This annual summary from the New York Times offers a focused collection of Times' articles on the U.S. and international economy over the past year or two, its impact on various industries, companies, and countries, and the prospects for the future of the economy and business; part of this annual outlook report also covers stocks, the markets, and investing. This site usually also offers links to the past two annual Outlook reports which usually appear in mid-December or early January in the Times; see the 2002 outlook here. Access to New York Times content requires free registration; articles in the New York Times are also available from the Foster Business Library homepage via National Newspapers for current UW faculty, staff, and students.

    Updated Frequently:

  • EconStats:   This site is difficult to categorize. It offers a gigantic amount of economic data, for the U.S. and the world, plus forecasts, stock markets and exchange rates, culled from a huge number of sources.

    Washington state and region:

    Updated Every Few Days:

  • Northwest In Recession:   This on-going Special Report, from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, originated in October of 2001, and is added to, regularly, every few days by the newspaper, with stories and features about the regional Pacific Northwest economy, with links to its archive of news items on this topic. Included in this Special Report is a one-page PDF collection of charts detailing aspects of Washington's Economic Outlook.

    Updated Monthly:

  • Regional Reports From Around the Nation:   These monthly reports are provided by the Institute for Supply Management, formerly known as the National Association of Purchasing Management. Scroll down to their section on Regional Reports, one page summaries of the economies, index, and short comment about ten regions, including Western Washington.

  • Washington Economy At A Glance:   Updated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this website provides data on the state labor force (size, employment, unemployment), on non-farm wage and salary employment by industry sector, and on mass layoffs, with both recent and historical data. This site also provides similar data for the entire United States, for U.S. regions, and for U.S. industries.

  • Workforce Explorer Washington:   Published by the Labor Market and Economic Analysis Branch of Washington State Employment Security, this site covers more than just the state labor market; also included are reports on the state economy, on state labor force and unemployment, area trends, notes on specific industries in the state, and information on the national economy.

    Updated Eight Times Per Year:

  • Regional Economic Conditions:   This extensive collection of reports and tables, updated eight times a year or quarterly, depending on the data, is provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This data "was originally designed to assist the FDIC in the examination process by providing economic information at the state, MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), and county levels." This site allows anyone with internet access to drill down to any state, MSA, or county to view standard graphs, tables, and maps depicting economic conditions and how they have changed over time. Economic data is arranged by geography. Start by choosing a state, such as Washington, from the dropdown menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Data includes industry activity, employment and income, real estate activity, selected commodity prices, and more. For a quick state summary, see the Washington State Profile.

    Updated Quarterly:

  • Area Index Briefs (CB Richard Ellis):   This quarterly index, from the real estate firm CB Richard Ellis, tracks the Puget Sound area industrial and office real estate market, with four-page reports in PDF format. On an annual basis, this firm also reports on apartment and rental markets in the Puget Sound area.

  • NAPM Western Washington Report on Business:   These quarterly reports are provided by the Western Washington chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management. Scroll down to the section for their Buyline Newsletter, in PDF format, for the one-page section entitled NAPM Western Washington Report on Business, with a narrative summary of economic conditions in this region, plus the NAPM Purchasing Managers Composite Index.

  • Quarterly Business Review:   Produced by the Washington State Department of Revenue, this online quarterly publication begins with a very brief Overview of business activity for the previous quarter that summarizes economic activity, by major industry, in the state. The rest of the publication consists of very detailed tables about economic output and business sales. This title was formerly published in print until the last quarter of 2000; these issues may be found in the Foster Reference Serials collection; click here for the call number. Unfortunately there is a six-month lag time before publication of the data and overview.

  • Quarterly Economic and Revenue Forecast Publications:   This publication appears quarterly and is prepared by the Office of the Forecast Council for the state of Washington.

  • Washington State's Housing Market:   These Housing Market reports and updates, published quarterly by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, at Washington State University, provide market updates, market snapshots, affordability, existing home sales, median home prices, residential building permits, single family building permits, and housing inventory, with quarterly data in some cases going back to 1998. The more recent reports are in PDF format. See also the Market Data part of the Center's website for apartment data, the Central Puget Sound Real Estate Reports, Spokane/Kootenai County Real Estate Reports, Whatcom County Real Estate Reports, and Kitsap County Real Estate Reports.

  • Western Economic Developments:   This site, from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Federal Reserve bank covering the Pacific Northwest, this bank also produces the quarterly Western Economic Developments, an analysis of current economic conditions in the 12th District states, with a two-page chapter on Alaska, Oregon and Washington, in PDF format, covering employment by state, by MSA and by industry, residential and non-residential construction permits, office vacancy rates, home sales, industrial availability, median home value appreciation, and exports by state.

    Updated Annually:

  • Washington State Economic Climate Study:   This annual online publication (in PDF format), which appears each September, is issued by the Washington State Office of the Forecast Council, and includes information about the economic performance of the state economy, including employment, growth, earnings, migration, exports, with indicators and benchmarks that go beyond economics to quality of life, education and workforce skills, infrastructure and transportation, and the cost of doing business in this state. Nine economic performance indicators and twenty economic climate benchmarks are used to compare Washington state with the other 49 states. This office also issues extensive quarterly Economic and Revenue Forecasts, also in PDF format.

    Foster Business Library Reference Collections:

    The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in Foster, arranged by call number. Reference materials cannot be checked out; they may only be used in the library.

    (In call number order)

    Foster Business Library Reference Collection:

  • World economic outlook:   Issued by the International Monetary Fund, this title appears semiannually, usually in September and April, and provides "analysis and projections of economic developments at the global level, in major country groups (classified by region, stage of development, etc.), and in many individual countries. It focuses on major economic policy issues as well as on the analysis of economic developments and prospects." The United States' economy is one of its major focus points. It is also available online, as noted above, in PDF format.

  • Business cycle indicators:   Formerly known as the Survey of Current Business, this publication from the Conference Board is published monthly and includes a short essay followed by many pages of charts and tables, focused on various economic indicators such as the ten leading indicators, the coincident indicators, the lagging indicators, index components such as average weekly hours, unemployment, manufacturers' new orders, housing starts, GDP, etc. International components including exchange rates are also covered.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC101 .B83.

  • Standard & Poor's current statistics:   Formerly known as the S & P Statistical Service (and still stored in the blue ring-binder of this title), this publication consists of an annual publication with monthly supplements. This source primarily provides data in the form of tables that cover a span of years and a wide variety of industries, economic indicators, stock exchange averages, GDP, foreign trade, money market measures, government debt, employment, cost of living indexes, etc.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC101 .S7.

  • Economic indicators:   This monthly publication, prepared for the Joint Economic Committee by the Council of Economic Advisors, for the U.S. Congress, presents the latest data on the nation's total output income and spending, employment, unemployment and wages, production and business activity, prices, money, credit and security markets, federal finance, and international statistics.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC101 .E35.
    Also available online.

  • The UCLA Anderson forecast for the nation and California:   This quarterly publication from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management provides an essay, some charts, and tables about the economy of the nation and of California.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC101 .U353.

  • Standard and Poor's Corporation trends and projections:   This black ring-binder holds the monthly issues of this publication, which consists of eight-page summaries of the status of the American economy, with narrative, charts and graphs on various aspects of current conditions, trends, and forecasts.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.6 .S742.
    (Also available online in the database Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage)

  • Marple's Pacific Northwest letter:   This biweekly newsletter, in publication for over fifty years, is subtitled "Inside the Pacific Northwest economy," with economic news about Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, and the companies and industries active in this region and regular reports on regional insider trading.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC107 .A19 .M382.

  • Standard and Poor's The outlook:   This black ring-binder holds weekly issues of this twelve-page publication, oriented towards the stock market, with a weekly asset allocation recommendation, a paragraph entitled Looking Ahead, a narrative analysis of current stock market conditions, a listing of a small number of exceptionally attractive stocks, a review of market measures, and S&P's changes in analysts rankings for the past week, using a star system. There are also pages for recent upgrades, attractive low risk stocks, and questions and answers, portfolio planning and portfolio management, etc.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4501 .O88.
    (Also available online in the database Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage)

  • Index of innovation and technology, Washington State:   This annual brochure, published since 2000 by the Washington Technology Center at the University of Washington, is loaded with facts, factoids, insights, and analysis of the Washington state economy and industries. Areas covered by the Index include innovation, competitiveness, growth, financial capacity including venture investment and local IPOs, human potential, and quality of life. The Index is also available online at online in PDF format.
    Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: T174.2 .I537.

    Foster Business Library Reference Serials collection:

  • Central Puget Sound real estate research report:   This semiannual publication, from the Central Puget Sound Real Estate Research Committee, is primarily oriented towards real estate sales and trends in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state, covering single family housing, income property, and building activity. In addition, there is usually a chapter on economic activity in this area that includes a subsection on Metropolitan Business and Economic Conditions.
    Foster Business Library Reference Serials, CALL NUMBER: HD 266 .W22 .K58.

    Foster Business Library Periodicals:

    Help:

    2 September 2003; updated 15 February 2008.   Peter Stevens, Business Librarian, stevens@u.washington.edu