The Economy & the Fed

Monthly and Yearly Change

Two ways of measuring how much a figure moved. Month-over-month (m/m) compares this month with last month and shows what just happened; it is the number markets react to. Year-over-year (y/y) compares this month with the same month a year earlier and shows the trend. A monthly rate compounds over a year: 0.3% a month adds up to about 3.7% a year. Yearly rates can also move because of base effects, when an unusually big or small month from a year ago drops out of the comparison.

Educational information, not investment advice. See it applied across the screener →