Catherine Hood Consulting

Web Course:

Introduction to Seasonal Adjustment

Purpose:
Most of the data published by banks and government agencies consists of time series. When using time series to make decisions, it is often useful to look at time series that have been adjusted for seasonality. It is important to recognize and understand the movements present in time series and to understand the various components of a time series (such as the trend) that are estimated during seasonal adjustment. The course covers the basic concepts needed to understand the uses and mechanics of seasonal adjustment. We will also discuss various software packages available for seasonal adjustment, including how to read output files and diagnostics. This class includes slides with audio and on-line quizzes.

Time estimate: 10-12 hours

Target audience:
This course is intended for a broad audience: managers, decision/policy makers, analysts, economists, and statisticians. No background in time series or seasonal adjustment is required.

Prerequisites: None, except a basic understanding of statistical terms like mean and median.

Benefits to Participants:
Upon completion of the course, the participants will be able to understand the language of seasonal adjustment, read the output from X-12-ARIMA/X-13ARIMA-SEATS, and assess the results from X-13ARIMA-SEATS.

Outline:
The course examines the following topics:

• Basic definitions: time series, seasonal adjustment, trend-cycle, trading day, and moving holidays
• The benefits of using an "off the shelf" program (like X-12 or X-13) for seasonal adjustment
• The general mechanics of seasonal adjustment, such as various types of filters used and multiplicative versus additive adjustment
• Overview of X-13ARIMA-SEATS, including review of both X-11-type and SEATS-type adjustments
• An overview of concepts and the notation of regARIMA modeling, including the basic regressors used for seasonal adjustment
• A review of the diagnostics available, including spectral and stability diagnostics
• A discussion of various issues surrounding seasonal adjustment, including
• Issues with production, including publishing trend-cycles
• Direct versus indirect adjustment of aggregate series
• Benchmarking annual totals

Cost:
The cost of this course is $240. This includes course handouts and over 10 hours of instruction.

Group rates are also available. For pricing infomation for groups, please contact our information desk at "info" at cchhood.com.

Purchasing information:
Before you purchase the course, please make sure your computer is compatible with the course by accessing the free sample course "Why Seasonal Adjustment?"

Please be aware that by purchasing this course, you acknowledge that you have read the Terms and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.

Read Terms and Purchase Course

---

Trademarks and Copyrights

• TRAMO/SEATS is written by Victor Gomez and Agustin Maravall and is available free of charge from the Bank of Spain web site.
• X-12-ARIMA and X-13ARIMA-SEATS are products of the U.S. Census Bureau and are available free of charge.
• Windows Operating System, Microsoft^® Windows, Copyright Microsoft Corporation

Back to the Top