I work with the macro economy, which involves the major variables that measure the health of the whole economy, such as total consumption, investment, income, employment, and inflation.

Forecasts vary in horizon, from a few seconds up to a few days in financial markets, compared to from one to several months for macro variables. We have to provide uncertainty intervals around the central forecasts to indicate the extent to which we are unclear about the future.

The economy is probably more hot than cold at this point. The inflation measure will be the one to watch because that will be one of the key determinants of whether the Fed hits the brakes or steps on the accelerator again.

Foreign direct investment is so important to the growth of China's economy that the national government doesn't want to do anything to endanger that.

We know that if people are confident in their discretionary income and the health of the economy, they tend to worry less about rising travel costs, including gas prices.

In the tradition of national income accounting, economic policymakers have typically focused on variables such as income, wealth, and consumption.