Not Seasonally Adjusted _verified_ Jun 2026
Businesses operate in the real world, not in a "seasonally adjusted" world. A ski resort does not budget for a smooth income stream throughout the year; they budget for a massive spike in winter and zero revenue in summer.
“They’re erasing the raw truth,” she whispered. “Replacing it with the smoothed version.”
The distinction between "Seasonally Adjusted" and "Not Seasonally Adjusted" is not just a technicality for statisticians; it is a matter of perspective. not seasonally adjusted
I've only been using it for a short time, so maybe I just need to give it more of a chance. But so far, I'm just not feeling it. It's not seasonally adjusted, which I suppose is neither here nor there.
For instance, looking at NSA employment data, you will see a massive dip every single January when holiday temporary workers are let go. An investor looking only at NSA data might panic every January, mistaking a seasonal blip for an economic crash. This is why media outlets and policymakers rely on Seasonally Adjusted data for short-term policy decisions and headlines—it smooths out the noise to reveal the signal. Businesses operate in the real world, not in
While seasonally adjusted data dominates the headlines, Not Seasonally Adjusted data offers the raw, unvarnished truth of economic activity. Understanding the difference is essential for investors, business owners, and anyone trying to get a clear picture of the economy.
Her boss, a man who lived by the mantra “adjust for expectations,” told her to run it through the seasonal filter. “Smooth it out, Nora. The markets don’t like surprises.” “Replacing it with the smoothed version
If seasonally adjusted data is better for spotting trends, why does NSA data still exist? There are several critical reasons why analysts prefer the raw numbers.
often rises in June as new graduates enter the workforce looking for jobs.
data refers to economic data that has not been modified to remove the influences of predictable, recurring calendar events.
She found them at the Snowy Owl Inn, a dusty motel off Highway 200. Forty-seven people, all of them statisticians, surveyors, and field agents from the federal government. They weren’t filing for unemployment. They were filing incorrect claims as part of a stress test.