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.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@Callum_Thomas — A great consumer, and eager retweeter of other people’s charts.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@valuewalk — A promiscuous promoter of good charts sourced from press accounts, analysts reports and the venerable Bloomberg terminal. Investment heavy.
@Dealogic — Updates from on capital raises and M&A, along with neatly packaged charts.
@boes_ — Dispatches from a Bloomberger ensnared in the deep weeds of the interest-rate world. Catnip for Fed geeks.
@Schuldensuehner — A debt-obsessed central bank watcher at Germany’s Die Welt. Plenty here for close followers of the ECB and FX markets.
@RBS_Economics — The house view from the British bank, with a special focus on UK economics.
@JedKolko — Insights on the US housing market from the VP of analytics and chief economist at the online real-estate marketplace Trulia.
@csresearch — Snapshots on the state of Credit Suisse’s views on markets and economies.
@WSJGraphics — Authoritative charts and maps from the WSJ.
@o_merk — Mostly maps tracing trade routes and other developments in supply chains and shipping.
@TomOrlik — Intense attention paid to Chinese economic indicators and the financial markets that love them, from a China-based Bloomberger.
@deaniemhj — Updates on emerging markets and eastern Europe.
@SMerler — Concise explainers, primarily about the dismal data emanating from the euro zone.
@IanTalley — The Journal’s man covering the IMF digs into the depths of their data, and comes out with some interesting charts.