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Each line rebased to 100 where the shared window begins — growth from a common base, not levels.

Federal Deficit (% of GDP) Federal Funds Rate
Federal Deficit (% of GDP)Federal Funds Rate

Indexing needs a positive starting value, and one of these starts at or below zero in the shared window. Try , or swap a series.

Each series rebased to 100 at the shared start. federal_deficit, fed_funds_rate · read from cache, latest-revised.

  • Federal Deficit (% of GDP)

    The annual federal shortfall (below zero) or surplus, against the size of the economy.

    Federal surplus or deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product.

  • Federal Funds Rate

    The interest rate the Fed sets to steer the economy.

    Effective federal funds rate, monthly average.

Each measured on its own terms — compare the lenses, not just the lines. Full lessons → Learn

r = 0.22 weak correlation · 71 overlapping months

…and that proves nothing. Two lines moving together is not one moving the other. Almost any pair of trending economic series correlates highly — they share the same long climb of growth, prices, and population, or it is chance. r measures co-movement over this exact window, never cause. Change the range or swap a series and watch r move. Why correlation isn’t causation →