FORMAT=FRED

This is the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s online FRED® database. It includes the main U.S. macro data base, plus many other data sources.

RATS Instructions

data(format=fred)	read series from FRED into memory
store(convert=fred)	copy series from FRED to RATS format

Interface Operations

Data Wizard

You can view, graph, and read in series using the FRED browser window, brought up by the FRED(online) or FRED(other sources) operation under Data Browsers on the Data/Graphics menu.

Notes

FORMAT=FRED will read data from any of the databases that can be accessed using either of the FRED browsers. For instance,

cal(q) 1952:1

data(format=fred) / CRDQUSAPABIS

reads quarterly data from 1952:1 to present (which will change as data are added) for the "Total Credit to Private Non-Financial Sector, Adjusted For Breaks, for United States" series from the Bank for International Settlements sourced-data on FRED.

Because the on-line data are frequently updated, if you are writing a paper, you probably will want to get a "snapshot" of one set of data rather than using FORMAT=FRED directly in your program. That way, you'll be able to reproduce the results since you will have a static set of data. FORMAT=FRED would be best used when you want real-time data for (for instance) forecasting or updating a monthly analysis.

See creating a RATS file from FRED data for a step-by-step look at creating a RATS format file from series found using the FRED browser.