
Claudia Sahm on how Private Data can Augment Official Statistics
From IMF Podcasts by IMF Podcasts
December 18, 2025 · 21 min
About this episode
Claudia Sahm discusses the role of private data in complementing official statistics for monetary policy.
While official statistics compiled by government agencies are still considered the most reliable, policymakers are increasingly using private data to get around their limitations. Claudia Sahm is a former principal economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and has studied the growing role of alternative data in monetary policy. In this podcast, Sahm says the immediacy and granularity of private company data should serve as a complement to traditional data, not as a substitute. Transcript : https://bit.ly/3MH31X6 Read the article at IMF.org/fandd
People in this episode
Guest: Claudia Sahm
Topics covered
- private data
- official statistics
- monetary policy
- alternative data
- policymaking
Keywords
- private data
- official statistics
- monetary policy
- alternative data
- Claudia Sahm
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Federal Reserve Board of Governors, IMF
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