Quarterly Update on the Special Data Dissemination Standard
First Quarter 2009
June 19, 2009Observance Status
As of the end of the first quarter of 2009, all 64 SDDS subscribers were in observance of the SDDS requirements for the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of the data and for the dissemination of advance release calendars (ARCs) (Table 1). The IMF's Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB) disseminates a complete list of SDDS subscribers. Recording the observance of SDDS metadata requirements for summary methodologies is discontinued; it has become obsolete because all metadata are presented using the Data Quality Assessment Framework structure.
Monitoring Punctuality of Data Releases
The IMF monitors the punctuality of data releases of each SDDS subscriber. Punctuality is monitored by comparing the first appearance of new information on the subscriber’s National Summary Data Page (NSDP) against the last release date announced in the subscriber’s ARC for each of the SDDS data categories. The ARC release dates should meet the SDDS timeliness requirements for the various data categories. Table 2 contains monitoring results for the first quarter of 2009, showing comparisons with results for the fourth quarter of 2008, and those for the first quarter of 2008. Year on year, the punctuality of data releases for the first quarter of 2009 increased for quarterly and annual data (except general government operations), and declined for monthly data (except analytical accounts of the banking sector and merchandise trade). Quarter on quarter, the punctuality of data releases for the first quarter of 2009 increased for quarterly and annual data categories (except wages and earnings, central government debt, and general government operations), but decreased for monthly data releases (except analytical accounts of the banking sector and merchandise trade). Compared with historical averages since the third quarter of 2000, when monitoring was introduced, the punctuality of data release for the first quarter of 2009 increased for quarterly and annual data (except for employment, unemployment, wages and earnings, and general government operations), but decreased for monthly data (except consumer prices, analytical accounts of the banking sector and merchandise trade).
The Annual Observance Reports for 2008 for all SDDS subscribers were published on the DSBB at http://dsbb.imf.org/Applications/web/sddsannualobservancereportspart/?Year=2008 on May 29, 2009.