Skip to content
Explore

Compare indicators

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

Job Openings Federal Funds Rate
Job OpeningsFederal Funds Rate Rebased to 100 at Dec 2000
2001 RecessionGlobal Financial CrisisCOVID-19 Recession50100150200100 = Dec 200020052010201520202025Indexed to 100 · r = 0.24 over the overlap — correlation is not causation · econscout.com

Each series rebased to 100 at Dec 2000. job_openings, fed_funds_rate · read from cache, latest-revised.

  • Job Openings

    Unfilled jobs employers are actively trying to fill.

    Total nonfarm job openings on the last business day of the month (BLS JOLTS).

  • 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 = 0.24 weak correlation · 306 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 →