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To: Real Man who wrote (108585)	4/11/2018 8:31:49 AM
From: marcher	Respond to of 116834

--not sure how to underreport unemployment number, because it is taken from surveys-- as well as mindmeld's point about adjusting the definition/criteria of/for "unemployment," there are many ways to affect survey data: the survey question might be changed in subtle ways that influences how responders reply; the answer scaling might be changed (e.g., from 7 point scale to 3 point scale); the population sample or demographics might be changed (e.g., reduce or increase a specific subgroup--gender, minority status, etc.); the way raw data is utilized can be adjusted (e.g., change the criteria for "outliers"-- "outlier" data is commonly thrown out and not used during the data analysis process). etc. etc.

To: Real Man who wrote (108585)	4/11/2018 7:27:39 PM
From: RetiredNow	Respond to of 116834

Well, there are a couple ways. My favorite is "seasonal" adjustments and smoothing. Also, there's the denominator. How many people are there in the work force? That's an estimate and can be manipulated by saying there were more people exiting the workforce through retirement or through long term discouraged workers. Too easy to get any number you want. Bottom line is that the Fed is focused on inflation targeting and the unemployment rate and both of those figures bear no resemblance to reality, which means the Fed's policies are ineffective at best, and highly destructive at worst. It would be far better for the Fed to just get out of the way and let the free market price the interest rates and let the free market clear the excesses.