If you’re keeping an eye on the developments in the economy and financial markets, a good chart is your best friend. Charts cut through the endless hemming-and-hawing of two-handed economists and two-faced market observers alike.
Basically, for most market and economic news, if you can’t chart it, there’s really not much to say.
That’s why charts are such a perfect fit for Twitter, where an analyst’s ability to blather on is curtailed by the 140-character limit. In such an environment, good charts can do an incredible amount of heavy lifting. A number of businesses and people—from official statistical agencies, banks, journalists and independent traders—have discovered that fact. So we figured it’d be worth rounding up the best, most consistently insightful, chart-heavy Twitter accounts we follow into a solid list.
Now, the idea here wasn’t to include everyone who’s ever sent out an unemployment rate chart on jobs Friday. Nor was it to shine a spotlight on those who already get plenty of attention. Rather it was just to point out those who, day-in and day-out, add to my understanding of what’s going on. And of course, it’s not all-encompassing or even—strictly speaking—final.
Oh, and if you want you can always follow the Twitter list I compiled of ace chartographers. And while you’re at it, follow me too: @MatthewPhillips
Without further ado, here it is.
@HyunSongShin — This head of research at the normally staid Bank for International Settlements in Basel, posts telling nuggets from BIS research, which deals with global finance and flows of capital.
On global liquidity; new BIS paper on dollar exchange rates and global financial conditions http://t.co/GXw8EdDaV9 pic.twitter.com/wov0iFj7LK
— Hyun Song Shin (@HyunSongShin) September 1, 2014
@NickTimiraos — A national economics correspondent for Wall Street Journal, Timiraos has broadened out what used to a single-minded attention to residential real estate. He’s often Quick-Draw McGraw with the latest datapoint.
After stabilizing in 2013, the homeownership rate for the under 35 crowd has fallen again http://t.co/XlbJb0Sppn pic.twitter.com/1bAdnyzkcW
— Nick Timiraos (@NickTimiraos) September 23, 2014
@FactTank — A firehose of charts collected by writers and thinkers at the Pew Research Center. Lighter on markets and economics, and heavier on US politics and public opinion.
Hispanics only group to see its poverty rate decline and incomes rise http://t.co/qEaxLGia4U pic.twitter.com/7s1exVwn1W
— PewResearch FactTank (@FactTank) September 19, 2014
@RobertAlanWard — Editorial director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Ward keeps a close eye on monthly macroeconomic agenda. Charts are nicely formatted in the Economist’s distinctive livery.
#France wage growth high despite sluggish econ. Those with jobs protected at cost to those without, esp the young. pic.twitter.com/kMKWlK9Sc9
— Robert Ward (@RobertAlanWard) September 23, 2014
@ReutersCulp — A graphics editor with Thomson Reuters, Culp covers a range of macroeconomics and markets. He has a nice way of packaging charts together so that they work, even in Twitter.
Consumer confidence hit a reading of 92.4 in August #graphic #economy http://t.co/tJEWlEgzYf pic.twitter.com/tCvjZrKrvK
— Stephen Culp (@ReutersCulp) August 26, 2014
@Callum_Thomas — A great consumer, and eager retweeter of other people’s charts.
Chart: @GaveKalCapital Commodities had already been flagging, but now a stronger #USD is also weighing on prices pic.twitter.com/6PGapcUpyt
— Callum Thomas (@Callum_Thomas) September 10, 2014
@BBGVisualData — A surprisingly under-followed feed from a graphics group at the Bloomberg mothership. Good stuff, but they tend to repeat their tweets a bit too much.
Tim Cook’s new Apple also determines the next big suppliers: http://t.co/XgX0u4VKyE pic.twitter.com/1zJPAD0ZbV
— Bloomberg VisualData (@BBGVisualData) September 23, 2014
@ReutersJamie — A nice smattering of insightful charts from around the financial markets, but with a focus on Europe and Latin America from this Reuters market correspondent.
Argentina’s “dolar blue” above 15, meaning the peso has lost almost 50% of its value on the black market this year: pic.twitter.com/l50pymUXFX
— Jamie McGeever (@ReutersJamie) September 23, 2014
@ukarlewitz — A close observer of equity markets, who is able to shift gears to macroeconomic data. Often posts longish time series that help make sense of things.
To put the state of the housing market in perspective, new home sales are at the trough levels of prior recessions pic.twitter.com/kpkg2Br7fM
— Urban Carmel (@ukarlewitz) September 18, 2014
@valuewalk — A promiscuous promoter of good charts sourced from press accounts, analysts reports and the venerable Bloomberg terminal. Investment heavy.
Some Thoughts On The Markets: Gold, Yen, Dollar http://t.co/ySmhdkSHxU $GLD $GDX $FXY $DXY pic.twitter.com/qZa3WkoOyn
— ValueWalk (@valuewalk) September 23, 2014
@Dealogic — Updates from on capital raises and M&A, along with neatly packaged charts.
US marketed leveraged loan activity has reached 1,948 facilities in 2014 YTD, the highest YTD activity on record pic.twitter.com/YJsIJYVaC3
— Dealogic (@Dealogic) September 22, 2014
@boes_ — Dispatches from a Bloomberger ensnared in the deep weeds of the interest-rate world. Catnip for Fed geeks.
Last time 5yr real rates were on the verge of turning positive (last Sept), Fed crushed them with no-taper surprise http://t.co/xoHOFRQZwJ—
Matthew B (@boes_) September 16, 2014
@Schuldensuehner — A debt-obsessed central bank watcher at Germany’s Die Welt. Plenty here for close followers of the ECB and FX markets.
Last days of ECB deleveraging. #ECB Balance sheet drops below €2,000bn mark, for the first time since Jul2011. pic.twitter.com/7OLDc4tzLb
— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) September 23, 2014
@RBS_Economics — The house view from the British bank, with a special focus on UK economics.
Only 3 UK regions have av housing values >50% of what they are in London. In the N.East and N.Ireland it’s <1/3rd. pic.twitter.com/vXnCTcHXXC
— RBS Economic Insight (@RBS_Economics) September 16, 2014
@JedKolko — Insights on the US housing market from the VP of analytics and chief economist at the online real-estate marketplace Trulia.
Most current data on millennial homeownership (2014 CPS ASEC, from March) is grim:
http://t.co/tBnpCOW7Kz pic.twitter.com/OYIdiie2Ex
— Jed Kolko (@JedKolko) September 23, 2014
@csresearch — Snapshots on the state of Credit Suisse’s views on markets and economies.
US household wealth rose $1.4tn in 2Q 2014 to a record high of $81.5tn; up 10.4% yoy pic.twitter.com/nlrRvShGH8
— CS Research (@csresearch) September 19, 2014
@WSJGraphics — Authoritative charts and maps from the WSJ.
All the railcars loaded with crude on one day in the U.S. is equivalent to a train 29 miles long pic.twitter.com/Tf7EqvyhFz
— WSJ News Graphics (@WSJGraphics) September 22, 2014
@o_merk — Mostly maps tracing trade routes and other developments in supply chains and shipping.
African underwater cables. Note the neat connection to ports. Opportunities? http://t.co/m78hNuqoPB pic.twitter.com/zkdxsEjNU1 via @OECD_Centre
— Olaf Merk (@o_merk) September 20, 2014
@TomOrlik — Intense attention paid to Chinese economic indicators and the financial markets that love them, from a China-based Bloomberger.
China’s electricity output contracts 2.2% yoy in August. Volts don’t lie. Shockingly bad. Amps up case for rate cut. pic.twitter.com/LuJ9wvCW5T
— Tom Orlik (@TomOrlik) September 13, 2014
@deaniemhj — Updates on emerging markets and eastern Europe.
The #Baltics and Denmark are taking the beating from #Putin‘s revenge pic.twitter.com/MaDChuxBiq
— Deanie Haugaard (@deaniemhj) August 8, 2014
@SMerler — Concise explainers, primarily about the dismal data emanating from the euro zone.
That sovereign-banking link isn’t really getting better,is it? holdings of domestic government bonds in Italy & Spain pic.twitter.com/zQQNyruWtm
— Silvia Merler (@SMerler) September 17, 2014
@IanTalley — The Journal’s man covering the IMF digs into the depths of their data, and comes out with some interesting charts.
IMF cuts Italy’s growth prospects (again), now seeing a contraction, & raises debt projections, again: pic.twitter.com/7JpOLaArpi
— Ian Talley (@IanTalley) September 18, 2014
The 22 best chart-heavy Twitter feeds you should follow—right this instant
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