Research editor
Sources and fact-checking
Locates the primary release behind each comparison and confirms figures against a second public source before a page is drafted.
An independent record of how economic terms actually differ
Economyfieldnotes is an editorial reference for finance news and economic news, built around one habit: laying options side by side so readers can see how they differ before forming a view.
EditorialAbout this publicationUpdated September 2026
Why comparison, not commentary
Most coverage of economic news and financial market news tells you what happened. It rarely tells you how the thing that happened compares to the alternative that didn't. A rate decision, an earnings report, a trade policy shift — each one only makes sense next to the option that was on the table but not chosen. That is the gap Economyfieldnotes tries to fill.
Every explainer here starts from a question of difference: how does a headline inflation figure differ from a core figure, how does one bank charter differ from another, how does a services trade deficit differ from a goods deficit. We think readers are better served by that structure than by a running commentary that assumes context nobody was given.
What we actually do
We read primary releases from statistical agencies, the Federal Reserve, and public company filings, then we describe what the numbers mean and how they relate to the last comparable reading. That is the whole method behind our federal reserve news and inflation news pieces: source the release, place it against its nearest peer or its own history, explain the mechanism in plain language.
We do not forecast, we do not rank institutions, and we do not tell a reader what to do with their money. Where a topic like company earnings news or banking news could tip into product comparison or recommendation, we stop at explaining the structure and the terminology instead.
How pages get written
Each page on this site is drafted from public data and public reporting, checked against a second primary source where one exists, and written to explain rather than to alarm. We avoid language built around urgency or guaranteed outcomes because economic reporting rarely supports either. A piece on employment report news, for instance, sets out what the release measures, what it does not measure, and how this month's release compares with prior months.
Editing follows a plain-language rule: any term borrowed from economics or accounting is defined the first time it appears. We would rather a page run a little longer than send a reader elsewhere to look up a word we used without explaining it.
What this site is not
Economyfieldnotes is not a source of personalized financial advice, investment recommendations, or trading guidance of any kind. It does not sell a service, promote a provider, or accept sponsorship tied to how a topic is covered. There is no signal generated here, no ranked list of institutions, and no claim that reading this site produces a financial outcome.
We also do not build pages around any single company, brand, or product. When corporate news or company earnings news requires an example, we choose it for its clarity as a teaching case, not for prominence, and we keep the focus on the mechanics of the report rather than on the company itself.
Corrections and updates
Economic data gets revised, and so do our pages. When a statistical agency restates a prior figure, or when a policy described in an economic policy news piece changes, we update the relevant page and note when it was last reviewed. We would rather correct a page quietly and promptly than leave an outdated comparison standing.
If you find a figure that looks wrong or a comparison that has gone stale, the contact page has the details for reaching the editorial team directly.
Editorial standards
How a comparison earns its place on the page
Not every difference is worth explaining. These are the tests a topic has to pass before it becomes a page.
- Traceable to a primary source
- Every comparison is built from a public release, filing, or dataset, cited by name rather than paraphrased from a secondary summary.
- Genuinely two-sided
- We only publish a comparison when both options are real and current — not a straw-man alternative built to make one side look better.
- Defined in plain language
- Any accounting or economic term used in a comparison is explained on first use, without assuming prior background.
- Reviewed on a schedule
- Pages tied to recurring releases, such as employment report news or inflation news, are revisited each time a new reading is published.
How we work
Reading the release before reading the reaction
Global financial news moves fast, and much of what circulates as US financial news within hours of a release is reaction to the reaction. Our approach is slower on purpose: we go back to the release itself — a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, a Federal Reserve statement, a 10-Q filing — before writing anything about what it means.
That order matters more than it sounds. A headline can compress a nuanced trade report into a single number, losing the distinction between, say, a shift in goods trade and a shift in services trade. Working from the primary document first is how we keep the comparison-led approach honest rather than decorative.
Behind the pages
Who writes this
Economyfieldnotes is produced by a small set of editorial roles, not by named commentators offering opinions.
Copy editor
Plain-language review
Checks that every term borrowed from economics or accounting is defined clearly on first use, without jargon left unexplained.
Data editor
Figures and revisions
Tracks statistical revisions and updates comparison pages when an agency restates a prior figure or a policy changes.
Standards editor
Scope and neutrality
Reviews drafts for anything that drifts toward recommendation, ranking, or promotion, and holds pages to an explanatory scope.
On method
What guides the comparison-led approach
Statistical agencies publish methodology alongside data specifically so that a reading in one period can be compared honestly with a reading in another.
Standard practice among national statistical offices
A single data point rarely tells a complete story; context and comparison over time are what give a figure its meaning.
Common guidance in public economic reporting
Plain-language explanation of technical terms is a recognized element of accessible public communication about financial and economic data.
Widely reflected in public-sector communication guidance
See the comparison-led approach in practice
Browse the full range of topics we cover, from inflation news and banking news to international trade news and financial regulation news, or reach the editorial team directly with a question or correction.