RainbowStats™ · Command reference
DIFF — First differences
Calculate changes between consecutive observations.
Syntax
DIFF(series)
DIFF(seriesList)Inputs and results
A series returns first differences. A series list returns a list with each series differenced separately.
Example
x = SERIES_SINCE(UNRATE,20010101)
LINE_CHART(DIFF(x))Notes and interpretation
DIFF(x)[t] = x[t] - x[t-1]. Results retain the original units. For a rate recorded in percent, differences are percentage points. The first observation has no preceding value within the input sample. This command has one argument; use LOGDIFF(series,n) for explicit-lag log changes.