Macrobond 1.5

Macrobond is proud to release the 1.5 version of the Macrobond Application. The release includes a range of new and powerful charting and analytics features as well as additional content sets. We consider this release to be the most modern and advanced data-charting and analytical application available. The next major release of Macrobond is planned to be released in Q2 2012.

The new version can be installed directly via the Macrobond platform by clicking the yellow line that appears on the screen or by selecting Check for update on the Help menu. If you need assistance, a description of how to upgrade is provided by the IT-department, which may be found here. Simply click Upgrade for further instructions.

Selection of new functionality

SQL DB connector

With the Macrobond SQL DB Connector you can read time series data from most SQL databases. This can be useful if you already have data stored on such a server in your organization.

In this way, you can use the Macrobond application as a powerful tool to browse, analyze and present your internal data and mix it with any data from the Macrobond database.

There is a separate document that describes this connector here.

Excel add-in

• You can turn the result of any calculation made in a Macrobond document, including formulas and analyses, into a Macrobond Data set in Excel. The resulting Excel time series can be refreshed when the data contained in the underlying time series has been updated. You can do this by copying the result from the Macrobond application or by importing a Macrobond document in the Macrobond Excel add-in.

• Read more about this feature in the ”Getting started with Macrobond” document, which can be found here.
• You can select additional fields to include when importing series.

• You can select the order of imported series (oldest first or last).

• You can select what date should represent a time period (first or last).

• You can specify if a value is a forecast when uploading data from Excel.

New and enhanced Analyses

• The new Index builder analysis allows you to construct index values for financial securities as well as general weighted averages of series.

• You can read more about the Index builder in the “Macrobond index builder” document that can be found here.
• There is a new option for custom periods in the Slice analysis where you enter one date and a range of observations instead of two dates.

• There are a couple of new options in the Cross section analysis. We now offer an option to make a calculation even if some values are null as well as an option to include all series in the output.

• The method Percentile is now available in Scalar and Statistics.

Release activity

• You can search for releases by entering key words.

• You can select multiple releases from the list, and then select Copy.
• The date of the next scheduled event is displayed in the event details if it is known.
• You can export a release event as an iCal file which can be used to add a reminder to your calendar.

• You can view all series associated with a Release through an Action.

Other

• There is now a Chart ruler that you can use to view the values on the graphs. You turn the ruler on by selecting Ruler on the Chart menu, by pressing the ruler button on the toolbar or by pressing Ctrl+R.

• When the ruler is displayed, you can move it by clicking with the mouse, dragging the mouse or using the left and right arrow keys.
• You can dismiss the ruler by selecting any of the ruler commands again or by pressing the Esc key.
• You can select what fields to view in lists of series and also select the order. You can find the configuration dialog by using the context menu of the list header or through Select columns… on the Edit menu.

• The tooltip for series in lists of series contains information about the start date, frequency, source and name. To save some space on the screen you can select to show only the column for the Description and use the tooltip for additional information.

• The Search activity will show many more search results.
• New formula functions: EndOfMonth, EndOfMonthAhead, EndOfQuarter, EndOfQuarterAhead, EndOfYear, EndOfYearAhead, Trim, Years and Days30E.
  The function TimeSpan has been renamed to Days.

Selection of new content

Recession bands

Macrobond now calculates recession bands for more than 60 countries. These are suitable to use with the Fill range feature in the charts and are calculated on the standard definition of two quarters of negative growth. These can be accessed by right-clicking on a chart and selecting Fill Range | Import | Macrobond.

Debt maturity series

Debt maturities have added for around 20 countries, primarily from the euro area.

Detailed banking data from BIS and the ECB

Under Banking & Credit we have added country level data from the BIS and the ECB. We have added global consolidated and locational statistics from the BIS and Euro area MFI deposit and loan and balance sheet data for the Euro countries from the ECB.

Commodity indices and prices from HWWI

The HWWI Commodity Price Index is a broad indicator of price development in the global commodity market. The 34 underlying commodities with long history are also available and include items such as iron ore, scrap metals, wood and paper pulp.

EIU Country Data module now available for subscription

Covering 201 countries and 45 sub-regions, this database provides comparable historical data from 1980 onwards for all countries covered, as well as forecasts for 191 of them. Country Data gives access to over one million individual data points, distributed across up to 300 comparable economic series per country. The EIU Country Data database is a complementary database on the Macrobond Application and requires a separate subscription.