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LeonChaoX
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fred-economic-data

Query FRED economic series metadata and observations with transformations.

783|65|Updated Feb 27, 2026
Search Tags:#time series#data transformation#macro indicators#fred#api querying#alfred vintage#regional econ data
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/LeonChaoX/qinyan-academic-skills --skill fred-economic-data-leonchaox
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: fred-economic-data
Source: https://github.com/LeonChaoX/qinyan-academic-skills/tree/main/skills/15-%E9%87%91%E8%9E%8D%E4%B8%8E%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E6%95%B0%E6%8D%AE/fred-economic-data
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/LeonChaoX/qinyan-academic-skills --skill fred-economic-data-leonchaox

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires requests, os, time, typing, functools, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill eliminates the manual effort of locating, querying, and cleaning large-scale macroeconomic time-series data by providing a unified way to pull FRED series, metadata, and real-time vintage information for research use.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Series lookup & discovery: Search FRED series by keywords and retrieve series metadata (e.g., GDP, CPI, unemployment, interest rates).
  • Observations retrieval with transformations: Download observations with units transformations (lin/chg/ch1/pch/pc1/log, etc.) and optional frequency aggregation.
  • Policy- and revision-aware analysis: Access vintage (revision) data via ALFRED parameters and schedule/context via release endpoints.
  • Regional/geo research support: Pull GeoFRED state/county/MSA/country data and fetch GeoJSON shapes for mapping.

Example: Build an academic macroeconomic dataset by pulling unemployment (UNRATE), inflation (CPIAUCSL), and interest rates (FEDFUNDS), then applying percent-change transformations and aligning them by time for analysis.

Quick Start

Run fred-economic-data to query the FRED series observations for UNRATE starting from 2020-01-01 using percent change from the year ago.

Frequently Asked Questions about fred-economic-data

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I retrieve FRED time series observations with percent change transformations?▼

To retrieve FRED time series observations with percent change transformations, query the FRED API using this Skill to apply unit transformations like pch or pc1, with optional frequency aggregation to align macroeconomic data for analysis.

Can I access ALFRED vintage data for revision-aware macroeconomic analysis?▼

Yes, you can access ALFRED vintage data for revision-aware macroeconomic analysis by passing ALFRED vintage parameters into the FRED API query, allowing you to retrieve historical revision data and monitor release calendars.

Do I need a FRED API key to query macroeconomic indicators like CPI and unemployment?▼

Yes, you need a valid FRED API key to query macroeconomic indicators like CPI, unemployment, and interest rates, as the Skill requires it to perform endpoint calls, rate-limit handling, and structured error reporting.

What's the best way to fetch GeoFRED regional economic data and GeoJSON shapes for mapping?▼

To fetch GeoFRED regional economic data and GeoJSON shapes for mapping, use this Skill to pull state, county, MSA, or country data, enabling U.S. and international regional analysis through the unified Python client interface.

How does rate-limit handling work when querying FRED API endpoints?▼

Rate-limit handling for FRED API queries works by intercepting HTTP 429 responses, utilizing built-in caching and structured error reporting to manage request retries and ensure reliable time-series data retrieval.

Why does my FRED series lookup return a structured error instead of time series data?▼

Your FRED series lookup returns a structured error instead of time series data when the query encounters invalid parameters or exceeds rate limits, triggering the Skill's built-in error reporting and HTTP 429 handling mechanisms.

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