Compare indicators
Each line rebased to 100 where the shared window begins — growth from a common base, not levels.
Each series rebased to 100 at Nov 2008. outside_spending, fed_funds_rate · read from cache, latest-revised.
- Outside Spending
Independent expenditures in presidential cycles — outside money, before and after Citizens United.
Total independent expenditures (outside spending) in U.S. presidential election cycles, summed from FEC Schedule E.
- 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
Correlation is not causation. Two lines moving together is not one moving the other — a shared trend often traces to a third force, or to chance. Read across a few measures before drawing a conclusion.