project

Project: Data on US trade statistics;

What does the US trade, how much and with whom? This assignments asks you to investigate these issues by looking at some relevant data. Specifically, the assignment is to find relevant data,

create a chart in a spreadsheet program, post it here, and briefly discuss its import.

Go to FRED http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/ (Links to an external site.) or the BEA http://www.bea.gov/ (Links to an external site.); the former has US trade statistics here

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/categories/13  (Links to an external site.), the latter here http://www.bea.gov/international/index.htm#trade (Links to an external site.). (The FRED data is

drawn from the BEA, but organized and presented slightly differently.) You can choose your own time series to present, but might consider one of the following:

Imports and/or exports as a share of GDP;
trade balance as a share of GDP;
trade balance excluding petroleum products (see, for example, line 83 and 84 here http://www.bea.gov/iTable/db_message.cfm?ReqID=6&step=1#reqid=6&step=3&isuri=1&600=3 (Links to an

external site.))
import or export shares by major countries (i.e., Canada, Mexico, China, EU … )
import or export shares by major product group.
The longer the time series, the more telling it is! Below are a couple of how-to videos. In the first one, I show how to create a chart in Excel via FRED. I’m trying to be brief, so please remember

that you should carefully label your chart!

the links for videos
1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_oOjNUAYuY (Links to an external site.)
Here is an updated “how-to” video on the process of inline embedding pictures: 1) Create a screenshot of your chart. 2) Click on your name on the very top right in Canvas. 3) Browse to “Files”. 4)

Upload the image. 5) Browse to the thread, click in “Reply” box, and “Embed Image.”
2- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOR9uv6eKo (Links to an external site.)