For example, following the procedures of the BEA, the staff uses detailed data on manufacturers' shipments of nondefense capital goods, published by the Bureau of the Census and other government agencies, to develop monthly estimates of nominal spending on most major types of equipment.
Similarly, monthly data on construction put in place are used to estimate nominal investment in commercial buildings and other types of structures. The staff converts these nominal spending figures into real terms using producer price indexes or other appropriate deflators.