FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE -*- ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ FEDERAL ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS Detroit-area office of the Office of Personnel Management Bulletin Board Service Federal job information is now available via this service. This includes information on job applications and opportunities for college graduates and other specialized topics. The system is available to libraries, college placement offices and other schools as well as individuals. The system operates 24 hours a day and may be reached by dialing (313) 226-4423. Modem speeds of 300, 1200, and 2400 baud are supported. Communications parameters should be set to no parity, one stop-bit, and a word length of 8 bits. For more information, contact Dave Nason on (313) 226-7520 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) The CIPS provides the full text of the FERC daily issuances, press releases, the Commission agenda and a daily listing of all filings made to the Commission. This service is available 23 hours every day. It is not available between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday through Friday. If you experience any problems about information contained in the CIPS, please call the Commission's Public Reference Room at 357-8ll8 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, for assistance. The system currently supports 11 simultaneous callers. The telephone number for CIPS is (202) 357-8997. There is no charge for use of the system. This system uses the same RBBS-PC sofware used by the Economic Bulletin Board. EBB users will find it very easy to learn how to use CIPS For more information, please call Sid Barinder on (202) 357-5570. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER FEDERAL ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS This is a partial list of Federal Electronic Bulletin Boards, assembled on an Ad Hoc basis by the SYSOP of the Census Bureau's State Data Center BBS. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Numbers ³ Organization and/or ³ Notes ³ System Name ³ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ State Data Center ³ RESTRICTED to State 301 763-1580 (Voice) ³ Census Bureau ³ Data Centers (SDC). Call ³ ³ for information on ³ ³ SDCs. ³ ³ Lee Bowling ³ ³ 301 763-4576 (Data) ³ Census Microcomputer Info. ³ OPEN board.Nevins 301 763-4494 (Voice) ³ Center ³ Frankel ³ Census Bureau ³ ³ ³ 301 763-4574 (Data) ³ Personnel Division ³ OPEN board. 301 763-4494 (Voice) ³ Census Bureau ³ 300/1200/2400 ³ ³ Nevins Frankel ³ ³ 202 377-3870 (Data) ³ Economic Bulletin Board ³ FEE based board. 202 377-0433 (Data) ³ Department of Commerce ³ 300/1200/2400 202 377-1986 (Voice) ³ ³ Ken Rogers ³ ³ 301 763-8071 (Voice) ³ Climate Analysis Board ³ Vernon Patterson ³ National Weather Service ³ PRE-REGISTRATION. ³ ³ 301 454-8700 (Data) ³ East Coast Marine Users ³ Call Ross Laporte 301 899-3296 (Voice) ³ National Weather Service ³ PRE-REGISTRATION. ³ ³ 301 353-5059 (Data) ³ Megawatts BBS ³ OPEN board. FTS 233-5059 ³ Department of Energy ³ Bruce Birnbaum ³ ³ 202 272-1514 (Data) ³ The COE Manpower BBS ³ OPEN board. ³ Army Corps of Engineers ³ Rich Courtney ³ ³ 202 786-3640 (Data) ³ Budget/Finance Board ³ OPEN board,don't ³ Immigration and ³ use in mid-day. ³ Naturalization Service ³ Mike Arnold ³ ³ 202 537-7475 (Data) ³ Fannie Mae BBS ³ OPEN board 202 537-7407 (Voice) ³ Federal National Mortgage ³ Ken Goosens ³ Association ³ ³ ³ 202 477-8500 (Data) ³ World Bank ³ OPEN board 202 473-2171 (Voice) ³ ³ Ashok Daswani ³ ³ ³ ³ 301 436-6346 (Data) ³ National Center for Health ³ OPEN board. 301 436-6154 (Voice) ³ Statistics ³ Linda Washington ³ ³ ³ ³ 202 756-6109 (Data) ³ User Assistance Board ³ FUTURE OPEN board 202 756-7481 (Voice) ³ Internal Revenue Service ³ Virginia Loiacona ³ ³ 202 376-2184 (Data) ³ Info Technology Center BBS ³ OPEN board. 202 389-5571 (Voice) ³ Veteran's Administration ³ Jay Anderson ³ ³ 518 474-6005 (Voice) ³ New York State Data Center ³ PRE-REGISTRATION. ³ New York Dept. of Commerce ³ Bob Scardamalia ³ ³ 202 566-4602 (Data) ³ Export-Import Bank of the US³ OPEN board. Joel 202 566-8830 (Voice) ³ ³ Kahn/Bob Hughes. ³ ³ 800 222-4922 (Outside ³ OERI Electronic Bulletin Brd³ OPEN board. Tom DC Metro area) ³ US Department of Education ³ Litkowski 626-9853 (DC calls) ³ ³ 202 357-6524 (Voice) ³ ³ ³ ³ 301 948-5717 (Data) ³ Computer Perfromance Eval- ³ OPEN board.300 Baud 301 921-3485 (Voice) ³ uation Group, National ³ only. ³ Science Foundation ³ ³ ³ 301 948-5718 (Data) ³ Microcomputer Electronic ³ OPEN board.300 or 301 921-3485 (Voice) ³ Information Exchange, ³ 1200 Baud. ³ National Bureau of ³ ³ Standards ³ ³ ³ 301 948-2048 (Data) ³ Data Management Information ³ OPEN board. 300 or 301 921-2431 (Voice) ³ Exchange, National Bureau ³ 1200 Baud. ³ of Standards ³ ³ ³ 202 770-0069 (Data) ³ Information Technology Ex- ³ 202 377-2949 (Voice) ³ change, National Oceanic ³ ³ and Atmospheric Adminis- ³ ³ tration ³ ³ ³ 202 634-1764 (Data) ³ National Science Foundation,³ OPEN board. 202 634-4636 (Voice) ³ Science Resources Studies ³ Geane Deans or ³ Data ³ Bill Phillips ³ ³ 202 697-6109 (Data) ³ Export License Status ³ 202 697-3632 (Data) ³ Advisor, Department of ³ ³ Defense ³ ³ ³ 202 475-1973 (Data) ³ Naval Aviation News Computer³ 202 433-4307 (Voice) ³ Information, Department ³ ³ of the Navy ³ ³ ³ 202 357-8997 (Data) ³ Commission Issuance Posting ³ 202 357-5570 (Voice) ³ System, Federal Energy ³ ³ Regulatory Commission ³ ³ ³ 703 790-1740 (Data) ³ Automated Flight Services ³ 703 883-6008 (Voice) ³ Lab, Federal Aviation ³ ³ Administration ³ ³ ³ 202 426-2961 (Data) ³ Federal Highway Adminis- ³ 202 366-4057 (Voice) ³ tration BBS ³ ³ ³ 202 557-3769 (Data) ³ Pesticide Programs BBS ³ 202 557-5484 (Voice) ³ Environmental Protection ³ ³ Agency ³ ³ ³ 301 725-1072 (Data) ³ Public Access Link ³ ³ Federal Communications ³ ³ Commission ³ ³ ³ 202 737-7264 (Data) ³ Federal Deposit Insurance ³ 202 628-5534 (Data) ³ Corporation ³ ³ ³ 202 275-1050 (Data) ³ Information Technology Cen- ³ ³ ter, General Accounting ³ ³ Office ³ ³ ³ 202 535-7661 (Data) ³ Information Resources Ser- ³ 202 535-0825 (Voice) ³ vices, Government Services³ ³ Administration ³ ³ ³ 202 453-9008 (Data) ³ Information Technology Cen- ³ ³ ter, National Aeronautics ³ ³ and Space Administration ³ ³ ³ 202 287-9656 (Data) ³ Federal Library Committee ³ 202 287-1374 (Voice) ³ BBS, Library of Congress ³ ³ ³ ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ T H E E C O N O M I C B U L L E T I N B O A R D BULLETINS AVAILABLE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PUBLICATIONS: TO ORDER PUBLICATIONS--The BEA publications listed below must be ordered from: Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402. Payment may be by check (made payable to Superintendent of Documents) or charged to a GPO deposit account number, VISA, or MasterCard. To order by phone: (202) 783-3238; by fax (202) 275-0019. Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: Operations of U.S. Affiliates of Foreign Companies, Revised 1986 Estimates. Contains information on the financial structure and operations of nonbank U.S. affiliates of foreign direct investors. Data are classified by industry of U.S. affiliate, by country and industry of ultimate beneficial owner, and, for selected data, by State. 160 pp. GPO Stock No. 003-010-00190-9. Price, $3.25. Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 1987 Benchmark Survey, Preliminary Results. Presents preliminary results of BEA's 1987 benchmark survey of foreign direct investment in the United States. Contains information on the financial structure and operations of U.S. affiliates of foreign direct investors in 1987. Data are classified by industry of U.S. affiliate, by country and industry of ultimate beneficial owner, and, for selected data, by State. 100 pp. GPO Stock No. 003-010-00188-7. Price, $5.00. U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Operations of U.S. Parent Companies and Their Foreign Affiliates. Presents results of BEA's annual survey of the worldwide operations of U.S. multinational companies. Contains information on the financial structure and operations of both U.S. parent companies and their foreign affiliates. Data are classified by country and industry of foreign affiliate and by industry of U.S. parent. Revised 1986 Estimates. 80 pp. GPO Stock No. 003-010-00189-5, Price, $4.25. Preliminary 1987 Estimates. 80 pp. GPO Stock No. 003-010-00191-7, Price, $4.25. DISKETTES: The estimates in the publications listed above are also available on diskette. For further information, call BEA at (202) 523-0659. PRINCIPAL FEDERAL ECONOMIC INDICATORS August - December 1989 The following release dates cover the principal economic indicators developed and disseminated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of the Census, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Release dates for 4 Federal Reserve Board indicators are also included. Release dates for other economic statistics provided by the FRB or other agencies may be obtained by calling the corresponding information number listed below. All or parts of the releases included in this schedule are available via the Economic Bulletin Board. BEA, BLS, and Census releases are available in their entirety. All Federal Reserve Board files on the EBB with the exception of the Money Stock release are summarized by the Office of Business Analysis. Inquiries about Federal economic indicators may be made to the respective issuing agencies at the numbers listed below: Department of Agriculture World agriculture supply & demand (202) 447-5447 World agricultural production (202) 447-7115 All other agriculture (202) 447-7017 Bureau of the Census (301) 763-4040 Bureau of Economic Analysis (202) 523-0777 Bureau of Labor Statistics (202) 523-1913 Department of Housing and Urban Development (202) 755-6686/6980 Department of the Treasury (202) 566-6046 Federal Home Loan Bank Board (202) 377-6677 Federal Reserve Board (202) 452-3206 ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ WHAT'S NEW ON THE ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD The Economic Bulletin Board contains numerous files in addition to those listed in the calendar of economic releases (Bulletin #3). Many of these files are occasional rather than periodic as are most press releases. For example, notices about new statistical data tapes and diskettes available from different agencies are only updated when there is a change to the announcement such as when new data are added. Many users miss these files since they do not appear on the list of releases or are overlooked when using the NEW command. The purpose of this bulletin is to briefly describe new additions to the bulletin board which are of general interest to subscribers. This bulletin will also announce any changes to our operating procedures, special notices, or special tips on how to use the service. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3/13/89 HISTORICAL BUSINESS CONDITIONS DIGEST DATA NOW AVAILABLE The Bureau of Economic Analysis is making its entire BUSINESS CONDITIONS DIGEST data base available via the Economic Bulletin Board. Today, six files containing BCD information were added to the system. Data are written using the format described in the file BCDFILES.DOC and may be read using the BCD utility program supplied by BEA BCDPGM.EXE. The data generally cover the years 1947-1989 (January) and include the recently introduced revisions to BEA's leading, Lagging, and Coincident Indicators. The entire BCD data bank requires nearly 2 megabytes of disk storage. Data on the EBB are available only in compressed format which requires that users of these files have access to an IBM personal computer or compatible equipment. EBB users who do not have access to this type of equipment should contact EBB staff about obtaining these files in ASCII format. The data files added today are: BCD1.EXE Contains series 1-55 BCD2.EXE Contains series 56-117 BCD3.EXE Contains series 118-310 BCD4.EXE Contains series 311-557 BCD5.EXE Contains series 559-920C BCD6.EXE Contains series 920C-978 These files are all self extracting. Users should download the files and use the same name on their local computer. To uncompress, simply type the first part of the file name, e.g., BCD1 These files will be updated annually. Interim updates may still be obtained using the files BCD4mm89.BEA and BCDRmm89.BEA where mm denotes the month. Beginning with March data, these files will be made available the day following BEA's issuance of the Index of Leading, Lagging, and Coincident Indicators. 1/19/89 TWO EBB SYSTEMS NOW OPERATING A second Economic Bulletin Board system has been installed to bring you expanded and more reliable service. 20 telephone lines will now be available on peak operating days to make it easier for you to call in to the service. You do not need to do anything new to access the new system. Telephone calls will be automatically routed to the first available line whether they are on the original EBB machine or the new machine. Time sensitive files such as press releases will be updated simultaneously on each machine to give eavry subscriber an equal opportunity to access this important information. Operating two independent machines will also provide some further insurance against system problems which may take one machine out of service. The second machine will continue to operate with little effect on users. Using two independent machines will create some difficulty for first time users. If you are a new user and this is your first session, please read bulletin #1 for a complete explanation. To determine which system you are using, look at the first line of each menu; it will say system A or system B. If you are an expert user, you will not normally see these menus. To determine which system, type I from the main menu to see the EBB identification screen. It will identify which system you are using. As always, if you have any problems using this service, please call (202) 377-1986 for assistance. If you are online when you call, please determine which system you are on before you call. 12/28/88 CHANGE IN PLANT AND EQUIPMENT EXPENDITURES REPORTING Beginning with today's press release, the Plant and Equipment Expenditures Survey will be reported by the Bureau of the Census instead of the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Responsibility for the P&E Survey was transferred to census effective October 1, 1988. Consistent with our policy of identifying contributing agencies in the file name, the new name of the P&E file will be PE.CEN effective immediately. BUSINESS CONDITIONS DIGEST DATA NOW AVAILABLE New data files containing statistics published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the BUSINESS CONDITIONS DIGEST have been added to the EBB data collection. These data provide measures of the current conditions of the U.S. economy. Many of the statistics are used in the construction of BEA's Leading, Coincident, and Lagging Indexes. These files will be updated monthly on the same day the BEA indexes are released to the public. The files added today are: BCD30588.BEA -- monthly BCD data for the last 3 years ending in May 88 BCDFILES.DOC -- Documentation for above file BCD-DAT.EXE -- Compressed form of above two files BCDPGM.EXE -- A utility program to extract selected files from the [BCD data file and convert to a format which can be read by Lotus 123. Will run on IBM PCs or similar machines] BCDPGM.DOC -- Documentation for above program BCD-PGM.EXE -- Compressed form of above two files Reference to these files can be found in Directory 3, Economic Conditions One additional file -- BCDPROD.BEA was added to Directory 10, Sources of Data. This describes several related BCD data products that are available from BEA. CURRENT BUSINESS STATISTICS New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis have been added to the Economic Bulletin Board covering a host of information sources from the Federal Government. These statistics correspond to those printed in the SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS in the S or blue pages of the publication. 60 different files have been added which provide monthly and annual data and tabular material for use in identifying the data. Please examine the files listed in Directory 14 for coverage or refer to a copy of the SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS. Data from these files may be readily imported into popular spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 123 or into data base programs such as dBase III. A file describing these statistics (README.CBS) is also available for downloading. Finally, users interested in all the files may download a compressed file (CBS.EXE) which contains each of the detailed files. NEW ENERGY STATISTICS ADDED TO EBB Statistics from the Monthly Energy Review and the Short-term Energy Outlook have been added to the EBB by the Energy Information Administration. Please read Bullet #7 for complete details. These files are described in directory 12 -- ENERGY STATISTICS GNP TABLES BACK AGAIN ON THE EBB Back by popular demand are four files containing published and unpublished gross national product data for real, current, income, and prices measures. These files present the data in an easy to read tabular format. Six files have been added to the EBB and will be available every month approximately three days after the BEA Gross National Product figures are released to the public. The files are REAL.GNP CURRENT.GNP INCOME.GNP PRICES.GNP GNP-TAB.EXE -- compressed format containing above four files, must use XMODEM to download GNP-123.EXE -- compressed format containing four files in Lotus 123 format; must use XMODEM to download NEW ECONOMIC INDICATORS FILE A new version of the economic indicators file has been added to the Economic Bulletin Board. Unlike the other EI files, the new file contains values rather than change from the preceding period. These may be used in calculations, spreadsheets, etc. The file contains most of the statistics which appear in the other EI files with the exception of those series obtained from private sources. Data cover the period December 86 to December 87. The file is structured to allow direct importing into Lotus 123 and other popular spreadsheet programs. This file will be updated monthly. NEW COMPRESSED FILES SAVE TIME AND MONEY There are several large files on the EBB which take a significant amount of time to download. Several users have asked us to provide these files in compressed format. We are now offering six large files in compressed form which require less than one-half the storage occupied by their uncompressed counterpart. The new files are: Compressed Uncompressed File content name name NIA.EXE NIPA.BEA Quarterly NIPA statistics -- ASCII format NIA-123.EXE NIPAS.WKS Quarterly NIPA statistics -- Lotus 123 version S-I-O.EXE S-I-O.CEN Manufacturing sales, inventories & orders EMP.EXE EMP.BLS Employment situation press release CPI.EXE CPI.BLS Consumer price index press release TRADE.EXE FOR-TRD.CEN Census foreign trade press release These files are intended for use on IBM and other MS-DOS based personal computers. They must be downloaded using the XMODEM file transfer protocol. Once you have downloaded the file to your machine and terminated your communications program, the file can be uncompressed by simply typing the first part of the name. For example, to uncomp- ress NIA.EXE type NIA . A new file NIPA.BEA will be written onto your disk which will be identical to the original uncompressed file on our system. Please note, these files require some degree of preparation on our part. They will be the LAST files created when these files are updated each month. If time is of the essence to you, continue to download the ASCII counterparts which we will continue to maintain for non-PC users. If you have any problems with these new files, please call us immediately. NEW FILES RELATED TO 1988 US INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK Several new files have been added to the EBB information collection which are related to the 1988 US INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK which was issued by the International Trade Administration on December 31, 1987. The new files are OUTLOOK.ITA -- provides highlights of the entire OUTLOOK including a list of the fastest and slowest growing industries, forecasts by industry, and estimated shipments for over 200 manufacturing industries. SECSUM.ITA -- provides a sector by sector summary of the major points contained in the OUTLOOK. COMPRICE.OBA -- OUTLOOK feature article examining changes in US competitive position in world markets due to changes OTLK-DAT.ITA -- information on ordering data tapes and/or diskettes containing OUTLOOK data. NEW UTILITY PROGRAM - PEEPER.EXE PEEPER is a utility program written expressly for users of the EBB. In brief, it permits viewing press release tables wider than 80 columns or longer than 24 lines on the standard screen of that size. It is written for IBM PC compatibles and requires about 128k of memory. It is available for downloading (x-modem) on the EBB and may be copied and given to others without restriction. PEEPER permits the user to "fix" the stub and the heading of any table. The "window" created can then be moved over the file table with the stub and heading remaining on screen and "in sync." Thus one can examine the large tables sometimes found in press releases on the EBB without printing them on a wide carriage printer. PEEPER also has a rudimentary string search feature that permits one to move directly to a particular table or subject. PEEPER.EXE is in Directory 98 and can be downloaded using "X-modem." When downloading PEEPER, make sure to save it on your disk using the name PEEPER.EXE To start the program, type PEEPER Function key F-1 will give you instructions on how to use the program. USER'S GUIDE TO BEA STATISTICS The Bureau of Economic Analysis has added a new file which describes the statistical programs of BEA and what related publications and information products are available. Several of the products cited in the file are also available via this bulletin board. e.g., quarterly National Income statistics. The user's guide is contained in the file USR-GD.BEA which is described in directory 10. FINANCIAL RATIOS FOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATIONS The Office of Business Analysis has added three files on financial ratios for manufacturing corporations through the 3rd quarter of 1986. THE FRMC ratios are based on consistent, seasonally adjusted time series. Seasonal adjustment permits the ratios to be compared on a quarter-to-quarter basis, in addition to the traditional comparisons between the same quarter of preceding years. The reports contain 21 ratios that are reported for 23 industry groupings. The current and quick ratios, profit margin, return on assets, return on equity, and a number of debt and capital structure ratios are some of the items reported. The industrial aggregates include all- manufacturing, durable and nondurable goods producers, as well as 2- and 3-digit ESIC industry groupings such as textiles, chemicals, iron and steel, and motor vehicles. These files are entitled: FRMC-TXT.OBA FRMC-A.OBA FRMC-B.OBA They are described in directory #9. A fourth file FRMC-DAT.OBA describes how the complete time series of financial ratios may be obtained from the Office of Business Analysis. NOAA CLIMATE ASSESSMENTS OF WEATHER EFFECTS ON U.S. ECONOMY The Assessment and Information Services Center (AISC) is the lead National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce) organization responsible for assessing and reporting how weather events affect the following, selected sectors of the economy. Construction Employment Energy Use Health and Human Welfare Retail Trade The purpose of the assessments is to provide analysts with a measure of how weather elements affect economic activities. Emphasis is placed on nationally-aggregated effects. Assessments are based on the premise that a weather-sensitive economic activity in any locale is closely tied to the long-term average weather (climate) at that locale. Weather anomalies accumulated to the monthly level can produce changes in the weather-sensitive part of that economic activity during the calendar month. The assessment available on the Economic Bulletin Board is "U.S. and Industrial World Weather/Economic Impacts". The file is titled CL-ECON.CAB. Reference to this file may be found in directory # 9. A similar assessment, "U.S. and Industrial World Weather/Energy Use Impacts", will be added later in January. BEA REGIONAL WAGES AND PERSONAL INCOME STATISTICS New files have been added to the bulletin board containing quarterly estimates of wages and personal income for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and major regions. The data cover 1st quarter 1985 to 3rd quarter 1986. These statistics are compiled by the Regional Measurement staff at the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The files may be printed as they are. However, they are in a format suitable for direct input into popular spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 123. Two other related files have also been added which contain the text and tables respectively of BEA's quarterly press release which summarizes the statistics found in the detailed tables. A listing of the file names may be found in Directory 11 which will now refer to regional economic information. To display the contents of this directory, type L;11 from either the main menu or file system prompts. The old directory 11 which contains a listing of miscellaneous files has now been renumbered 98. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD RELEASES The Federal Reserve Board does not currently contribute press release information to the bulletin board. However, the Office of Business Analysis has developed abstracts of four major FRB releases -- money stock, capacity utilization, production indexes, and selected interest rates. Abstracts of the first three releases are added to the bulletin 3-4 days after release by the FRB. The selected interest rates release is issued by the FRB on Mondays at 4:30 PM Eastern time. OBA obtains a copy of this release early Tuesday morning and updates the abstract file my mid-morning. Starting January 9, a fifth FRB abstract will be added -- foreign exchange rates. This file provides detailed exchange rates for 32 countries on a weekly basis for the current month, the monthly average for the three previous months and the 1986 average. This file will be updated weekly. The file is titled EXCHANGE.FRB and appears in Directory 8. In summary, these files are: INTEREST.FRB Selected interest rates -- updated weekly MONEY.FRB Money stock -- updated monthly PROD-IND.FRB Production indexes -- updated monthly CAPAC.FRB Capacity utilization -- updated monthly EXCHANGE.FRB Foreign exchange rates -- updated weekly