8 Recommended Sites for Economic Research

I am happy to have my guest blogger Heather Johnson write about economics again. (I hope to emerge from my hiatus soon after finishing the final draft of my book on quantitative trading.)

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8 Recommended Sites for Economic Research

By Heather Johnson

Without the proper research, your trading strategies are just a shot in the dark. Don't rely on soundbites and headlines to tell you how the economy is doing. A wise investor will be following trends and analyzing his or her own collected data. Below are eight recommended sites for economic research that traders should find very useful.

1. AEI Research - The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) for Public Policy Research is a non-profit group that is dedicated to educating people on economics, as well as politics, government and social welfare. You can find economic policy reports here that may influence your trading.
2. BEA – The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) provides economic data in a timely and unbiased manner. This service to the public helps people to gather a more accurate view of the U.S. economy. Reports are categorized by region and industry.
3. CIBC World Markets – This organization is the corporate banking department of CIBC, one of the largest North American financial institutions. The global economic data provided by CIBC World Markets is considered to be amongst the most reliable sources for economic indicators.
4. FedStats – This site offers the full range of economic statistics provided by the U.S. federal government. It also gathers data and trends from over 100 agency Websites.
5. Federal Reserve – A trader should always be interested in what is going on with the Fed. Here, the institution provides regularly updated bulletins and data.
6. The Financial Forecast Center – While this isn't a virtual crystal ball, it does offer third-party, objective economic data and forecasts. Compiled by artificial intelligence and available in a free subscription, everything found on this site is completely quantitative.
7. Free Lunch – Ah, and you thought there was no such thing. This source of economic data and analysis begs the question, "Why pay anything?"
8. Bloomberg.com Economic Calendar – This helpful calendar is brought to you by one of the most well-known names in finance. A day trader will find this calendar most useful when trying to determine how the market will move.

Although the list above is far from exhaustive, it should give you plenty of information to chew on for a while. Whether you are trying to forecast today's market or the market over the next six months, you will need to conduct some serious research beforehand.

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Heather Johnson is a freelance finance and economics writer, as well as a regular contributor for CurrencyTrading.net, a site for currency trading and forex trading information. Heather welcomes comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com .