FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), run by the St. Louis Fed, is a macro database — the big-picture data behind markets, free.
1. Series worth watching
- M2 money supply: how much money is circulating — a read on liquidity
- High-yield spreads: default-risk signal; widening spreads flag stress
- Fed assets: the scale of easing/tightening
- Unemployment rate: labor-market health
2. Why it matters
However good a single stock is, the macro backdrop of liquidity and rates drives the whole market. FRED lets you verify that backdrop with data.
3. Tips
Search a series and view its long-term chart. You can overlay multiple series or download the data to analyze.