Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://fred-mcp-server.amorelli.tech/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Economic Indicators Examples
Learn how to retrieve and analyze key economic indicators using the FRED MCP Server.
Labor Market Indicators
Unemployment Rate
Retrieve the monthly unemployment rate:
// Using fred_get_series
{
"series_id": "UNRATE",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"observation_end": "2024-10-01"
}
{
"series_id": "UNRATE",
"title": "Unemployment Rate",
"units": "Percent",
"frequency": "Monthly",
"seasonal_adjustment": "Seasonally Adjusted",
"observations": [
{
"date": "2024-09-01",
"value": "4.2"
},
{
"date": "2024-08-01",
"value": "4.3"
}
]
}
Labor Force Participation
Track workforce participation trends:
{
"series_id": "CIVPART",
"observation_start": "2015-01-01"
}
Combine multiple series to understand labor market dynamics:
- UNRATE: Unemployment rate
- CIVPART: Labor force participation
- EMRATIO: Employment-population ratio
- U6RATE: Broader unemployment measure
Nonfarm Payrolls
Monthly employment changes:
{
"series_id": "PAYEMS",
"observation_start": "2023-01-01",
"units": "chg", // Period-to-period change
"frequency": "m"
}
Inflation Indicators
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Track headline inflation:
{
"series_id": "CPIAUCSL",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1" // Percent change from year ago
}
Core Inflation
CPI excluding volatile food and energy:
{
"series_id": "CPILFESL",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
{
"series_id": "CPIAUCSL",
"units": "pc1"
}
Producer Price Index
Wholesale price changes:
{
"series_id": "PPIACO",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
GDP and Growth
Real GDP
Inflation-adjusted economic output:
{
"series_id": "GDPC1",
"observation_start": "2015-Q1",
"units": "pca" // Percent change at annual rate
}
Nominal GDP
Current dollar GDP:
{
"series_id": "GDP",
"observation_start": "2015-Q1",
"frequency": "q"
}
GDP Components
Consumption
Investment
Government Spending
Net Exports
{
"series_id": "PCEC",
"observation_start": "2020-Q1"
}
{
"series_id": "GPDI",
"observation_start": "2020-Q1"
}
{
"series_id": "GCE",
"observation_start": "2020-Q1"
}
{
"series_id": "NETEXP",
"observation_start": "2020-Q1"
}
Interest Rates
Federal Funds Rate
The Fed’s primary policy rate:
{
"series_id": "DFF",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"frequency": "d"
}
Treasury Yields
Mortgage Rates
30-year fixed mortgage rate:
{
"series_id": "MORTGAGE30US",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"frequency": "w"
}
Financial Markets
Stock Market Indices
// S&P 500
{
"series_id": "SP500",
"observation_start": "2023-01-01"
}
// Dow Jones Industrial Average
{
"series_id": "DJIA",
"observation_start": "2023-01-01"
}
// NASDAQ Composite
{
"series_id": "NASDAQCOM",
"observation_start": "2023-01-01"
}
Exchange Rates
// Euro
{ "series_id": "DEXUSEU" }
// British Pound
{ "series_id": "DEXUSUK" }
// Japanese Yen
{ "series_id": "DEXJPUS" }
// Swiss Franc
{ "series_id": "DEXSZUS" }
// Chinese Yuan
{ "series_id": "DEXCHUS" }
// Mexican Peso
{ "series_id": "DEXMXUS" }
// Brazilian Real
{ "series_id": "DEXBZUS" }
// Broad Dollar Index
{ "series_id": "DTWEXBGS" }
// Advanced Economies
{ "series_id": "DTWEXAFEGS" }
// Emerging Markets
{ "series_id": "DTWEXEMEGS" }
Production Indicators
Industrial Production
{
"series_id": "INDPRO",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
Manufacturing
// Manufacturing Output
{
"series_id": "IPMAN",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01"
}
// Capacity Utilization
{
"series_id": "TCU",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01"
}
Housing
Building Permits
{ "series_id": "PERMIT" }
Existing Home Sales
{ "series_id": "EXHOSLUSM495S" }
Home Price Index
{ "series_id": "CSUSHPISA" }
Consumer Indicators
Retail Sales
{
"series_id": "RSXFS",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pch"
}
Consumer Confidence
// University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment
{
"series_id": "UMCSENT",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01"
}
// Conference Board Consumer Confidence
{
"series_id": "CSCICP03USM665S",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01"
}
Personal Income and Spending
Personal Income
Personal Spending
Savings Rate
{
"series_id": "PI",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
{
"series_id": "PCE",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
{
"series_id": "PSAVERT",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01"
}
Money Supply
Monetary Aggregates
// M1 Money Supply
{
"series_id": "M1SL",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
// M2 Money Supply
{
"series_id": "M2SL",
"observation_start": "2020-01-01",
"units": "pc1"
}
Searching for Indicators
Find indicators by topic:
// Search for inflation indicators
{
"query": "inflation",
"tags": ["monthly", "sa"],
"limit": 20,
"sort_by": "popularity"
}
// Search for employment
{
"query": "employment",
"tags": ["bls", "monthly"],
"limit": 20
}
Best Practices
Key considerations when working with indicators:
- Frequency: Match series frequencies for comparisons
- Seasonal Adjustment: Use SA versions for trend analysis
- Units: Verify units before calculations
- Revisions: Economic data undergoes revisions
- Release Dates: Check when data is typically updated
Combining Multiple Indicators
// Create dashboard of key indicators
const dashboard = [
{ id: "UNRATE", name: "Unemployment" },
{ id: "CPIAUCSL", name: "CPI", transform: "pc1" },
{ id: "GDP", name: "GDP", transform: "pca" },
{ id: "DFF", name: "Fed Funds Rate" },
{ id: "SP500", name: "S&P 500" }
];
// Fetch all in date range
dashboard.forEach(indicator => {
fred_get_series({
series_id: indicator.id,
observation_start: "2020-01-01",
units: indicator.transform || "lin"
});
});
Next Steps
Time Series Analysis
Analyze trends and patterns
Data Transformations
Transform data for analysis
Common Series
Popular indicator reference
API Reference
Tool documentation
