Office of Business Analysis

The Office of Business Analysis (OBA) is a Departmental office reporting to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs. It conducts economic, statistical, and financial analyses in support of the Under Secretary. OBA maintains and manages two data banks: an "on- line" Economic Bulletin Board and the National Trade Data Bank.

Activities and Services

• Information Services: The Economic Bulletin Board (EBB) allows computer users throughout the world to access the latest public releases of current economic information from the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Board, and other Federal agencies. Some topics covered in the EBB are gross domestic product, the employment situation, personal income and expenditures, the consumer price index, and the Federal Reserve Board's monetary and financial data. Also available are economic indicators, foreign trade data, U.S. National Energy Accounts data, U.S. capital stocks data by sectors, and other special economic studies and reports. The EBB also includes listings of new publications and data bases from the Office of Business Analysis, the Bureau of the Census, the National Technical Information Service, the International Trade Administration, and other Federal units.

• National Trade Data Bank (NTDB): The NTDB provides a CD-ROM each month that contains a wealth of information on U.S. foreign trade and investment. Included are the latest market analyses of foreign countries, detailed information on doing business with other countries, and other data of interest to exporters and investors. The data bank is also available in regional offices that are part of the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration.

• Computer users are Invited to tap into the EBB or the NTDB for a modest fee. one economic data also may be purchased in computer printed form, computer tapes, and floppy discs. Copies of published reports also may be purchased.

  Contact

  Business Statistics and Information Systems Division
  Office of Business Analysis
  Economics and Statistics Administration
  Room H4887
  U.S. Department of Commerce
  Washington, DC 20230
  (202) 482-1986