usmetrics_skill

Overview

This skill provides structured analysis of U.S. economic and social indicators using the Substrate US-Common-Metrics dataset. It produces multi-timeframe trend analysis, cross-metric correlations, anomaly detection, and research recommendations for policymakers, analysts, and researchers. The skill supports live updates from major APIs to keep analyses current.

How this skill works

Before any workflow runs, the skill issues a mandatory voice/console notification indicating the workflow and action being executed. Data is sourced from the configured Substrate directory and, when requested, updated by fetching live series from FRED, EIA, Treasury, BLS, Census, CDC, and EPA. Workflows compute 10y/5y/2y/1y trends, cross-category correlations, pattern detection, and export a structured markdown report and CSV snapshots.

When to use it

• When you need a comprehensive US economic overview or brief
• To refresh and validate the Substrate dataset with live API data
• When analyzing trends across GDP, inflation, employment, housing, or energy
• To detect anomalies, regime shifts, or emerging economic patterns
• When preparing research recommendations or briefing materials

Best practices

• Run UpdateData before GetCurrentState to ensure analyses use current data
• Configure your local Substrate data path and check for user customizations at ~/.claude/skills/PAI/USER/SKILLCUSTOMIZATIONS/USMetrics/
• Ensure FRED_API_KEY and EIA_API_KEY are set for live fetches
• Review the generated CSV snapshots for machine-readable workflows and audit trails
• Use generated trend windows (10y/5y/2y/1y) to compare structural vs cyclical signals

Example use cases

• Monthly briefing: run UpdateData, then GetCurrentState to produce an executive markdown report
• Policy research: analyze cross-metric correlations to identify leading indicators for unemployment or inflation
• Market prep: track gas and oil price trends alongside consumer sentiment and CPI
• Academic study: export historical CSVs for econometric modeling or replication
• Crisis monitoring: detect anomalies in health, employment, or air quality metrics and generate recommendations