Core Insights - Significant downward revision of employment growth and adjustments in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculation methods have raised questions about the reliability of official statistics [5][6][19] - Bank of America (BofA) maintains that these data remain reliable but advises caution regarding initial employment figures [6][11] - Alternative data cannot replace official statistics but can provide a reasonable check on the data [7][24] Employment Data - The recent downward revision of 258,000 jobs for May and June is the largest adjustment outside of the pandemic period [8][11] - BofA suggests evaluating these revisions in terms of both absolute numbers and their proportion of total employment, indicating that the latest adjustments, while significant, are not as abnormal when viewed in context [11][12] - The response rate for surveys has declined, which may lead to larger-than-normal revisions, but the revisions typically fall within a 90% confidence interval [13][14][16] Consumer Price Index (CPI) - The increase in imputed data within the CPI is a concern, but BofA believes there is no immediate cause for alarm [20][21] - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has had to rely more on imputed prices due to reduced data collection, which could potentially distort inflation readings [20][21] - BofA's analysis indicates that the reduction in CPI sample collection has not significantly impacted overall CPI changes, with discrepancies being less than 1 percentage point [21] Alternative Data Sources - In light of concerns over government data reliability, BofA identifies several alternative data sources, such as Homebase, ADP, and credit card spending data, which can provide insights into labor market conditions and consumer spending [24][26][27] - While these alternative data sources are useful supplements, BofA emphasizes that there is no perfect substitute for official statistics [28] GDP Tracking Adjustments - BofA has revised its second-quarter GDP growth estimate down by 0.1 percentage points to 2.9%, influenced by lower-than-expected construction spending and downward revisions in payroll data [29][30] - The adjustments in GDP tracking reflect changes in employment data, construction spending, and inventory levels, indicating a more cautious economic outlook [29][30]