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Spurious correlation #1,963 · View random

A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the second variable is The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana.  The chart goes from 2010 to 2022, and the two variables track closely in value over that time. Small Image
Download png
, svg

AI explanation

As the stock market performance dipped, investors were feeling the financial strain. Some of these investors happened to moonlight as wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana to diversify their income. With their focus shifting towards managing their dwindling investment portfolios, they had to bid farewell to their part-time careers of ensuring a smooth flow in the wastewater industry.

Model: dalle-3
Prompt: Generate an image of a bustling stock exchange with a red downward arrow displayed next to the NYSE Composite Index, indicating a decrease in annual percentage change. Meanwhile, in a small Montana town, a group of worried wastewater treatment plant operators is gathered around a table, looking at a budget document with grim expressions. The number of operators in the room has increased, indicating growing pressure and workload due to the decrease in funds for municipal projects. Depict the contrast between the bustling activity of the stock exchange and the worried gathering of the plant operators. The depiction should include only scenes, people, and objects, it should not include text or speech bubbles.
This image generation prompt was also generated by AI, using the following sequence:

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You select one of a few potential scene descriptors that seems to go along with the variables described. You respond only with the scene descriptions provided and say nothing else.
User prompt: Here are two variables: NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. Given these, which of the following image style descriptions seems most appropriate? Pick the one that seems to be related to one of the variables at hand. Please respond with only one of the following potential descriptions: a funny image you would see on reddit Cutsy graphics Woodblock painting Sci-fi fantacy Data cyber art
ChatGPT: Data cyber art

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You describe simple visual scenes that depict the two variables stated. You combine both variables into one scene.
User prompt: Please describe a visual scene that prominently depicts both NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana, in the following situation: As the stock market dipped, investors flushed with anxiety and pulled out, leading to a decrease in funds for municipal projects, including wastewater treatment. Turns out, when it comes to the market, this wasn't a bull run for the operators!. Keep the description simple.
ChatGPT: In a bustling stock exchange, a red downward arrow is displayed next to the NYSE Composite Index, showing a decrease in annual percentage change. Meanwhile, in a small Montana town, a group of worried wastewater treatment plant operators is gathered around a table, looking at a budget document with grim expressions. The number of operators in the room seems to have increased, indicating the growing pressure and workload due to the decrease in funds for municipal projects.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You write and improve image generation prompts for DALLE-3. You maintain the same subjects, but enhance the visuals.
User prompt: Please respond with an image generation prompt that would be likely to create an interesting visual using DALLE-3, using the following style: [ Data cyber art ] and depicting this scene: In a bustling stock exchange, a red downward arrow is displayed next to the NYSE Composite Index, showing a decrease in annual percentage change. Meanwhile, in a small Montana town, a group of worried wastewater treatment plant operators is gathered around a table, looking at a budget document with grim expressions. The number of operators in the room seems to have increased, indicating the growing pressure and workload due to the decrease in funds for municipal projects. Keep the visual depiction simple. Do not include any words or speech bubbles.
ChatGPT: Generate an image of a bustling stock exchange with a red downward arrow displayed next to the NYSE Composite Index, indicating a decrease in annual percentage change. Meanwhile, in a small Montana town, a group of worried wastewater treatment plant operators is gathered around a table, looking at a budget document with grim expressions. The number of operators in the room has increased, indicating growing pressure and workload due to the decrease in funds for municipal projects. Depict the contrast between the bustling activity of the stock exchange and the worried gathering of the plant operators.

*Variations in the User Prompts from chart to chart are just the result of random number generation in Python. I wrote a few arrays of various styles and methods to ask questions to change up the results. Every time this site writes an explanation or generates an image, the script picks from each at random.

I sequence the requests into multiple prompts because I find GPT 3.5 to perform much better with short, well-managed contexts. Thus, I track the context directly in Python and only ask ChatGPT targeted questions.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106 (fine-tuned)
System prompt: You provide humorous responses in the form of plausible sounding explanations for correlations. You assume the correlation is causative for the purpose of the explanation even if it is ridiculous. You do not chat with the user, you only reply with the causal connection explanation and nothing else.
User prompt: Please make up a funny explanation for how a decrease in NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change caused The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana to decrease. Make it feel plausible.

AI academic paper

(Because p < 0.05)
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

International Journal of Financial Ecology

Jan 2024

Reminder: This paper is AI-generated. Not real!
Quick note: This sequence is long and repetitive. That's how the prompt engineering works for this one. I manage the output in Python to format it into this PDF.




Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You write titles and abstracts of goofy academic research papers.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, and add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please draft the title and abstract of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Make the title punny if you can come up with clever pun. If not, make it sound serious.

Your research team used data from 1stock1 and Bureau of Larbor Statistics to assess this nagging question. You found a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and p < 0.05 for 2010 to 2022.

Please respond in this format (replace "Lorem ipsum dolor sit" with your title and abstract)

[[TITLE]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit

[[ABSTRACT]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit



ChatGPT:
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the introduction section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the introduction section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[INTRODUCTION]]



ChatGPT:
[[INTRODUCTION]]

The field of economics often presents a dry and serious facade, but every now and then, it offers unexpected surprises that raise eyebrows and elicit a few chuckles. In this study, we delve into the peculiar and somewhat whimsical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the enchanting state of Montana. It's as if the economy and the environment were playing an elaborate game of tag – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons" if you will.

As we dip our toes into these uncharted statistical waters, it's important to recognize that unexpected correlations can often emerge, much like when two random strangers discover they share a mutual friend. Sometimes, statistical patterns are like dad jokes – you don't see them coming, but when they land, you can't help but crack a smile.

Now, you might be wondering, how did we stumble upon this seemingly bizarre association? Well, we can assure you that it wasn't a mere stroke of statistical serendipity. By extracting data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we embarked on a quest to uncover any substantial connections between the wild fluctuations of the NYSE index and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities. It's like trying to find the common ground between Wall Street and Wastewater Boulevard – an unlikely pair, but hey, stranger things have happened in the world of statistics.

Surprisingly, our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022. It seems the stock market and the sewage system have been secretly exchanging coded messages all along. As the NYSE index danced its economic tango, the number of diligent folks tending to Montana's water treatment plants followed suit, almost as if they were waltzing to the rhythm of the market... or perhaps performing a "stock-swap" of their own.



Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft a literature review section of an academic research paper, that starts out dry for the first few sentences but then becomes hilarious and goofy.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a literature review section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Speak in the present tense for this section (the authors find...), as is common in academic research paper literature reviews. Name the sources in a format similar to this: In "Book," the authors find lorem and ipsum.

Make up the lorem and ipsum part, but make it sound related to the topic at hand.

Start by naming serious-sounding studies by authors like Smith, Doe, and Jones - but then quickly devolve. Name some real non-fiction books that would be related to the topic. Then name some real fiction books that sound like they could be related. Then name a couple popular internet memes that are related to one of the topics.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

-------

And here is the introduction section that led to this literature review:
[[INTRODUCTION]]
The field of economics often presents a dry and serious facade, but every now and then, it offers unexpected surprises that raise eyebrows and elicit a few chuckles. In this study, we delve into the peculiar and somewhat whimsical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the enchanting state of Montana. It's as if the economy and the environment were playing an elaborate game of tag – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons" if you will.
As we dip our toes into these uncharted statistical waters, it's important to recognize that unexpected correlations can often emerge, much like when two random strangers discover they share a mutual friend. Sometimes, statistical patterns are like dad jokes – you don't see them coming, but when they land, you can't help but crack a smile.
Now, you might be wondering, how did we stumble upon this seemingly bizarre association? Well, we can assure you that it wasn't a mere stroke of statistical serendipity. By extracting data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we embarked on a quest to uncover any substantial connections between the wild fluctuations of the NYSE index and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities. It's like trying to find the common ground between Wall Street and Wastewater Boulevard – an unlikely pair, but hey, stranger things have happened in the world of statistics.
Surprisingly, our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022. It seems the stock market and the sewage system have been secretly exchanging coded messages all along. As the NYSE index danced its economic tango, the number of diligent folks tending to Montana's water treatment plants followed suit, almost as if they were waltzing to the rhythm of the market... or perhaps performing a "stock-swap" of their own.


-------

Your response should start like this:

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]



ChatGPT:
[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

In their seminal work, Smith and Doe (2015) examined the relationship between economic indicators and labor market dynamics, focusing primarily on the traditional variables found in these domains. Their study sought to identify the intricate interplay between stock market performance and employment trends, using rigorous statistical analyses to reveal hitherto undiscovered correlations. Notably, the authors found that conventional economic metrics may be more closely intertwined with labor market dynamics than previously assumed – a discovery that echoes throughout the annals of economic literature.

Ah, speaking of echoes, did you hear about the economist who couldn't stop talking about the stock market? He just couldn't bear to lose interest!

Drawing inspiration from the real-world implications of economic fluctuations, Jones and colleagues (2018) delved into the impact of market volatility on regional labor markets. Their comprehensive analysis highlighted the nuanced ways in which economic upheavals can reverberate through local employment landscapes, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond the trading floor. These findings reinforced the notion that economic phenomena have the potential to influence seemingly unrelated sectors – a notion that takes on a particularly unexpected form in our investigation.

Turning to the realm of non-fiction works, "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith and "Capital in the 21st Century" by Thomas Piketty stand as towering monuments in the field of economics. Both texts offer invaluable insights into the complexities of economic systems and the intricate dance of market forces. However, when it comes to dance, even the most serious economic theories can't help but tap their toes to the rhythm of an unexpected correlation.

Speaking of unexpected correlations, I used to be in a band called "The Correlation Coefficients." Our music wasn't great, but if you graphed our popularity over time, it was a perfect linear relationship!

In the world of fiction, "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and "Economic Gangsters" by Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel offer fictional and factual perspectives on economic dynamics, shedding light on the complexities and idiosyncrasies of market behavior. Perhaps in a fictional universe, the characters in these books would stumble upon their own quirky correlations, much like our newfound link between the NYSE index and wastewater treatment in Montana.

And who can forget the infamous "Ermahgerd" meme? This internet sensation, with its garbled language and enthusiastic captions, serves as a fitting metaphor for the surprising revelations unearthed in our study. Just as the "Ermahgerd" meme presents a delightful twist on familiar images, our research has uncovered a delightfully unexpected connection between stock market changes and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities.

In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Douglas Adams famously proclaimed, "Don't Panic." Well, in the face of these unanticipated statistical discoveries, we encourage our readers to adopt a similar mantra. After all, who could have predicted that the ebb and flow of the NYSE index would be mirrored in the diligent efforts of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana? It's a statistical journey filled with surprises – a bit like finding a hidden treasure map in a pile of stock reports.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the methodology section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the methodology section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from 1stock1 and Bureau of Larbor Statistics . You used data from 2010 to 2022

Make up the research methods you don't know. Make them a bit goofy and convoluted.

Here is the title, abstract, and introduction of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

[[INTRODUCTION]]
The field of economics often presents a dry and serious facade, but every now and then, it offers unexpected surprises that raise eyebrows and elicit a few chuckles. In this study, we delve into the peculiar and somewhat whimsical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the enchanting state of Montana. It's as if the economy and the environment were playing an elaborate game of tag – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons" if you will.
As we dip our toes into these uncharted statistical waters, it's important to recognize that unexpected correlations can often emerge, much like when two random strangers discover they share a mutual friend. Sometimes, statistical patterns are like dad jokes – you don't see them coming, but when they land, you can't help but crack a smile.
Now, you might be wondering, how did we stumble upon this seemingly bizarre association? Well, we can assure you that it wasn't a mere stroke of statistical serendipity. By extracting data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we embarked on a quest to uncover any substantial connections between the wild fluctuations of the NYSE index and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities. It's like trying to find the common ground between Wall Street and Wastewater Boulevard – an unlikely pair, but hey, stranger things have happened in the world of statistics.
Surprisingly, our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022. It seems the stock market and the sewage system have been secretly exchanging coded messages all along. As the NYSE index danced its economic tango, the number of diligent folks tending to Montana's water treatment plants followed suit, almost as if they were waltzing to the rhythm of the market... or perhaps performing a "stock-swap" of their own.


-------

Your response should start like this:

[[METHODOLOGY]]



ChatGPT:

[[METHODOLOGY]]

To unearth the unexpected connection between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana, we employed a methodological approach that was as quirky as the correlation we sought to uncover. Our research team embarked on a whimsical journey through the data landscape, employing a mix of traditional statistical tools and a touch of statistical sleuthing to capture the essence of this peculiar relationship.

First, we scoured the depths of 1stock1 for comprehensive and up-to-date information on the annual percentage change of the NYSE Composite Index. We carefully tracked the market's whims and wobbles, much like a financial bard composing a ballad to the capricious nature of economic fluctuations. It's like following a line graph's adventurous exploits through the peaks and valleys of Wall Street – you never know what twist the plot might take next!

Simultaneously, we donned our metaphorical waders and waltzed into the Bureau of Labor Statistics data pool to fish out the employment figures for wastewater treatment plant operators in the sprawling landscapes of Montana. It was a bit like going on a statistical fishing expedition, hoping to reel in meaningful insights from the vast reservoir of labor market data. Just like a diligent angler watching for the slightest nibble, we patiently waited for statistical significance to bite.

Once we collected this eclectic mix of data, we threw them into the cauldron of statistical analysis, stirring in a dash of regression analysis and a sprinkle of correlation calculations to see what magical concoction would emerge. It was reminiscent of an experimental kitchen where statistical ingredients were mixed and matched, all in the pursuit of uncovering the savory secrets hidden within the data stew.

To ensure the robustness of our findings, we conducted sensitivity analyses and bootstrapping procedures, akin to double-checking the recipe for any potential missteps or mismeasurements. We wanted to be absolutely sure that the aroma of statistical significance wafting from our findings wasn't just a mere statistical fluke – after all, good correlations are like good jokes, they need to stand up to scrutiny.

In the end, our methodology blended the rigors of traditional statistical analysis with the adventurous spirit of exploratory data mining, creating a flavorful concoction that not only unearthed an unexpected correlation but also added a dash of statistical whimsy to the landscape of economic research. Just goes to show, in the world of statistics, you never know what unexpected relationships might emerge – it's a bit like uncovering a hidden punchline in a labyrinth of data!


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the results section of an academic research paper. You speak in the past tense (you found...).
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the results section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from 1stock1 and Bureau of Larbor Statistics .

For the time period 2010 to 2022, you found a correlation 0.6230512, r-squared of 0.3881927, and p < 0.05.

One figure will be included. The figure (Fig. 1) is a scatterplot showing the strong correlation between the two variables. You don't need to specify where; I will add the figure.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

-------

And here is the methodology section that led to this result:
[[METHODOLOGY]]
The field of economics often presents a dry and serious facade, but every now and then, it offers unexpected surprises that raise eyebrows and elicit a few chuckles. In this study, we delve into the peculiar and somewhat whimsical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the enchanting state of Montana. It's as if the economy and the environment were playing an elaborate game of tag – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons" if you will.
As we dip our toes into these uncharted statistical waters, it's important to recognize that unexpected correlations can often emerge, much like when two random strangers discover they share a mutual friend. Sometimes, statistical patterns are like dad jokes – you don't see them coming, but when they land, you can't help but crack a smile.
Now, you might be wondering, how did we stumble upon this seemingly bizarre association? Well, we can assure you that it wasn't a mere stroke of statistical serendipity. By extracting data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we embarked on a quest to uncover any substantial connections between the wild fluctuations of the NYSE index and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities. It's like trying to find the common ground between Wall Street and Wastewater Boulevard – an unlikely pair, but hey, stranger things have happened in the world of statistics.
Surprisingly, our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022. It seems the stock market and the sewage system have been secretly exchanging coded messages all along. As the NYSE index danced its economic tango, the number of diligent folks tending to Montana's water treatment plants followed suit, almost as if they were waltzing to the rhythm of the market... or perhaps performing a "stock-swap" of their own.


-------

Your response should start like this:

[[RESULTS]]



ChatGPT:

[[RESULTS]]

Our investigation into the correlation between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana uncovered an intriguing link. The correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 indicated a moderate positive relationship between these seemingly incongruous variables. It's as if the stock market and sewage system were engaged in a covert dance, a tango of economic indices and environmental labor.

Figure 1 displays a scatterplot demonstrating the remarkable alignment between the annual percentage change in the NYSE Composite Index and the count of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. The data points seem to pirouette in unison, revealing the synchronized movements of these unlikely bedfellows. One could say they're two sides of the same (dime and) dance floor!

This statistically significant relationship, with an r-squared of 0.3881927 and p < 0.05, indicates that approximately 38.8% of the variability in the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana can be explained by the fluctuations in the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change. It's a bit like trying to predict the contents of a mystery bag – sometimes, the stock market movements provide clues to the ebbs and flows of the labor market, even if they're hidden in the murkiest of waters.

These findings not only highlight the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics but also serve as a gentle reminder that statistical surprises can manifest in the most unexpected places. Just as one can stumble upon a hidden gem in the least suspecting of locations, our research unearthed a correlation that adds a dash of whimsy to the world of statistical analysis. It's a bit like finding treasure in a place no one would think to look – or a dad joke in a research paper about stocks and sludge!


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the discussion section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the discussion section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Limit your response to 500 tokens.

Here are the title, abstract, literature review, and results sections. Please harken back to 1-2 of the goofy items in the literature review, but pretend to take them completely seriously. Discuss how your results supported the prior research.

Do not write a conclusion. I will add a conclusion after this.

[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]
In their seminal work, Smith and Doe (2015) examined the relationship between economic indicators and labor market dynamics, focusing primarily on the traditional variables found in these domains. Their study sought to identify the intricate interplay between stock market performance and employment trends, using rigorous statistical analyses to reveal hitherto undiscovered correlations. Notably, the authors found that conventional economic metrics may be more closely intertwined with labor market dynamics than previously assumed – a discovery that echoes throughout the annals of economic literature.
Ah, speaking of echoes, did you hear about the economist who couldn't stop talking about the stock market? He just couldn't bear to lose interest!
Drawing inspiration from the real-world implications of economic fluctuations, Jones and colleagues (2018) delved into the impact of market volatility on regional labor markets. Their comprehensive analysis highlighted the nuanced ways in which economic upheavals can reverberate through local employment landscapes, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond the trading floor. These findings reinforced the notion that economic phenomena have the potential to influence seemingly unrelated sectors – a notion that takes on a particularly unexpected form in our investigation.
Turning to the realm of non-fiction works, "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith and "Capital in the 21st Century" by Thomas Piketty stand as towering monuments in the field of economics. Both texts offer invaluable insights into the complexities of economic systems and the intricate dance of market forces. However, when it comes to dance, even the most serious economic theories can't help but tap their toes to the rhythm of an unexpected correlation.
Speaking of unexpected correlations, I used to be in a band called "The Correlation Coefficients." Our music wasn't great, but if you graphed our popularity over time, it was a perfect linear relationship!
In the world of fiction, "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and "Economic Gangsters" by Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel offer fictional and factual perspectives on economic dynamics, shedding light on the complexities and idiosyncrasies of market behavior. Perhaps in a fictional universe, the characters in these books would stumble upon their own quirky correlations, much like our newfound link between the NYSE index and wastewater treatment in Montana.
And who can forget the infamous "Ermahgerd" meme? This internet sensation, with its garbled language and enthusiastic captions, serves as a fitting metaphor for the surprising revelations unearthed in our study. Just as the "Ermahgerd" meme presents a delightful twist on familiar images, our research has uncovered a delightfully unexpected connection between stock market changes and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities.
In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Douglas Adams famously proclaimed, "Don't Panic." Well, in the face of these unanticipated statistical discoveries, we encourage our readers to adopt a similar mantra. After all, who could have predicted that the ebb and flow of the NYSE index would be mirrored in the diligent efforts of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana? It's a statistical journey filled with surprises – a bit like finding a hidden treasure map in a pile of stock reports.

[[RESULTS]]
Our investigation into the correlation between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana uncovered an intriguing link. The correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 indicated a moderate positive relationship between these seemingly incongruous variables. It's as if the stock market and sewage system were engaged in a covert dance, a tango of economic indices and environmental labor.
Figure 1 displays a scatterplot demonstrating the remarkable alignment between the annual percentage change in the NYSE Composite Index and the count of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. The data points seem to pirouette in unison, revealing the synchronized movements of these unlikely bedfellows. One could say they're two sides of the same (dime and) dance floor!
This statistically significant relationship, with an r-squared of 0.3881927 and p < 0.05, indicates that approximately 38.8% of the variability in the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana can be explained by the fluctuations in the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change. It's a bit like trying to predict the contents of a mystery bag – sometimes, the stock market movements provide clues to the ebbs and flows of the labor market, even if they're hidden in the murkiest of waters.
These findings not only highlight the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics but also serve as a gentle reminder that statistical surprises can manifest in the most unexpected places. Just as one can stumble upon a hidden gem in the least suspecting of locations, our research unearthed a correlation that adds a dash of whimsy to the world of statistical analysis. It's a bit like finding treasure in a place no one would think to look – or a dad joke in a research paper about stocks and sludge!

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[DISCUSSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[DISCUSSION]]
The unexpected yet significant correlation between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana has left us pondering the humorous twists and turns of statistical analysis. Our findings not only support the prior research but also underscore the unpredictable nature of statistical correlations – much like stumbling upon a well-timed dad joke in the midst of a serious discussion.

Our results align with the seminal work of Smith and Doe (2015), who highlighted the intertwined nature of economic indicators and labor market dynamics. Just as the relationship between these variables was previously explored, our study has added an unconventional layer to this interconnectedness – one that bears resemblance to the unpredictability of, say, finding stock market patterns in the flow of wastewater. It's a statistical dance worthy of a good chuckle, much like the discovery of a hidden punchline in an unexpected setting.

Furthermore, our findings echo the intricate interplay emphasized by Jones et al. (2018), who delved into the impact of market volatility on regional labor markets. While their research focused on more traditional channels of economic influence, our study offers a lighthearted reminder that correlations can manifest in the unlikeliest of places. It's akin to catching a whiff of humor in the most unsuspecting conversations – or, shall we say, the scent of a pun in a paper about sewage and stocks.

The unanticipated link between the NYSE index and the count of wastewater treatment plant operators reinforces the notion put forth by Adam Smith and Thomas Piketty in their essential economic texts - that market forces can have surprising reverberations through seemingly unrelated sectors. It's a bit like spotting a hidden treasure in a pile of old stock reports – or, in a lighter vein, unearthing a well-timed dad joke in the midst of scholarly discourse.

In conclusion, our study adds a touch of whimsy to the domain of economic research, highlighting the unexpected connections that can emerge amidst statistical analyses. It's a bit like coming across a delightful pun in a conversation about sewage and stocks – a gentle reminder that statistical exploration can hold both surprises and smiles.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the discussion section of goofy academic research papers that sounds like it belongs based on the title and abstract provided.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a short conclusion of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Limit your response to 300 tokens. At the very end, assert that no more research is needed in this area.

Here are the title, abstract, introduction, and results sections.
[[TITLE]]
Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.

In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!

These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

[[INTRDUCTION]]
The field of economics often presents a dry and serious facade, but every now and then, it offers unexpected surprises that raise eyebrows and elicit a few chuckles. In this study, we delve into the peculiar and somewhat whimsical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the enchanting state of Montana. It's as if the economy and the environment were playing an elaborate game of tag – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons" if you will.
As we dip our toes into these uncharted statistical waters, it's important to recognize that unexpected correlations can often emerge, much like when two random strangers discover they share a mutual friend. Sometimes, statistical patterns are like dad jokes – you don't see them coming, but when they land, you can't help but crack a smile.
Now, you might be wondering, how did we stumble upon this seemingly bizarre association? Well, we can assure you that it wasn't a mere stroke of statistical serendipity. By extracting data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we embarked on a quest to uncover any substantial connections between the wild fluctuations of the NYSE index and the workforce tending to Montana's wastewater treatment facilities. It's like trying to find the common ground between Wall Street and Wastewater Boulevard – an unlikely pair, but hey, stranger things have happened in the world of statistics.
Surprisingly, our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022. It seems the stock market and the sewage system have been secretly exchanging coded messages all along. As the NYSE index danced its economic tango, the number of diligent folks tending to Montana's water treatment plants followed suit, almost as if they were waltzing to the rhythm of the market... or perhaps performing a "stock-swap" of their own.


[[RESULTS]]
Our investigation into the correlation between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana uncovered an intriguing link. The correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 indicated a moderate positive relationship between these seemingly incongruous variables. It's as if the stock market and sewage system were engaged in a covert dance, a tango of economic indices and environmental labor.
Figure 1 displays a scatterplot demonstrating the remarkable alignment between the annual percentage change in the NYSE Composite Index and the count of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana. The data points seem to pirouette in unison, revealing the synchronized movements of these unlikely bedfellows. One could say they're two sides of the same (dime and) dance floor!
This statistically significant relationship, with an r-squared of 0.3881927 and p < 0.05, indicates that approximately 38.8% of the variability in the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana can be explained by the fluctuations in the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change. It's a bit like trying to predict the contents of a mystery bag – sometimes, the stock market movements provide clues to the ebbs and flows of the labor market, even if they're hidden in the murkiest of waters.
These findings not only highlight the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics but also serve as a gentle reminder that statistical surprises can manifest in the most unexpected places. Just as one can stumble upon a hidden gem in the least suspecting of locations, our research unearthed a correlation that adds a dash of whimsy to the world of statistical analysis. It's a bit like finding treasure in a place no one would think to look – or a dad joke in a research paper about stocks and sludge!

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[CONCLUSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[CONCLUSION]]

In conclusion, our investigation has shed light on the curious correlation between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. As we wrap up this study, it's clear that these seemingly disparate variables have been engaged in a covert dance, waltzing to the rhythm of economic indices and the intricacies of environmental labor. It's as if the stock market and sewage system were engaged in a tango of their own, performing a "stock-swap" that had remained hidden in the statistical depths.

Our findings not only provide a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics but also serve as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data! Much like a good dad joke, the correlation between these variables was unexpected, yet strangely fitting, adding a touch of whimsy to the world of statistical analysis.

With the statistically significant relationship and a moderate positive correlation coefficient, our results have uncovered an intriguing link that highlights the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. It's almost as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks – a case of "trade-offs and trade-ons," if you will. Just like the unpredictable nature of dad jokes, statistical surprises can manifest in the most unexpected places, adding an element of surprise to the rather serious world of economics and labor market studies.

In light of these findings, it seems we have indeed stumbled upon a hidden gem in the statistical landscape. It's like finding treasure in a place no one would think to look – or a dad joke in a research paper about stocks and sludge! Therefore, it is safe to say that no more research is needed in this area – we've plumbed the depths of this statistical rabbit hole and emerged with a surprising correlation that is, dare I say, the crème de la crème of statistical whimsy.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of academic journals. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding research, scientific, or academic journal that would publish a paper entited Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana. Respond only with the name of a fictional academic journal.

ChatGPT:

International Journal of Financial Ecology


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of nonprofit research organizations and associations. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding nonprofit, academic, or scientific association or organization that would sponsor research that resulted in a paper entited Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana. Respond only with the name of a fictional organization.

ChatGPT:

The Society for Quirky Economic Research and Analysis


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide potential search keywords separated by commas. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide potential search keywords for a paper titled Stocks and Sludge: Exploring the Correlation Between NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change and the Number of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators in Montana with an abstract of This study delves into the unexpected and somewhat comical relationship between the NYSE Composite Index annual percentage change and the number of wastewater treatment plant operators in the picturesque state of Montana. Utilizing data from 1stock1 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to unearth any substantial ties between these seemingly disparate variables. Our findings revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.6230512 and a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 for the years spanning from 2010 to 2022.
In this unconventional investigation, we discovered that as the NYSE index saw fluctuations in its annual percentage change, there seemed to be a peculiar parallel in the count of laborers attending to the wastewater treatment facilities in Montana. Quite an intriguing revelation, don't you think? It's as if the stock market movements were leaving their traces... in the waterworks!
These findings offer a novel perspective on the interconnectedness of economic indicators and labor market dynamics, shedding light on the whimsical ways in which seemingly incongruous domains can intersect. Our research not only underlines the importance of considering unorthodox relationships in economic studies but also serves as a lighthearted reminder that correlations can often be hiding where we least expect them - even in the wastewater of statistical data!

ChatGPT:

NYSE Composite Index, annual percentage change, wastewater treatment plant operators, Montana, correlation, Bureau of Labor Statistics, labor market dynamics, economic indicators, unorthodox relationships, statistical data, stock market fluctuations

*There is a bunch of Python happening behind the scenes to turn this prompt sequence into a PDF.



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Data details

NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change
Source: 1stock1
See what else correlates with NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change

The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana
Detailed data title: BLS estimate of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Montana
Source: Bureau of Larbor Statistics
See what else correlates with The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana

Correlation r = 0.6230512 (Pearson correlation coefficient)
Correlation is a measure of how much the variables move together. If it is 0.99, when one goes up the other goes up. If it is 0.02, the connection is very weak or non-existent. If it is -0.99, then when one goes up the other goes down. If it is 1.00, you probably messed up your correlation function.

r2 = 0.3881927 (Coefficient of determination)
This means 38.8% of the change in the one variable (i.e., The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana) is predictable based on the change in the other (i.e., NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change) over the 13 years from 2010 through 2022.

p < 0.05, which statistically significant(Null hypothesis significance test)
The p-value is 0.023. 0.0229162528130305800000000000
The p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme. More specifically the p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme if we had only tested one pair of variables one time.

But I am a p-villain. I absolutely did not test only one pair of variables one time. I correlated hundreds of millions of pairs of variables. I threw boatloads of data into an industrial-sized blender to find this correlation.

Who is going to stop me? p-value reporting doesn't require me to report how many calculations I had to go through in order to find a low p-value!
On average, you will find a correaltion as strong as 0.62 in 2.3% of random cases. Said differently, if you correlated 44 random variables Which I absolutely did.
with the same 12 degrees of freedom, Degrees of freedom is a measure of how many free components we are testing. In this case it is 12 because we have two variables measured over a period of 13 years. It's just the number of years minus ( the number of variables minus one ), which in this case simplifies to the number of years minus one.
you would randomly expect to find a correlation as strong as this one.

[ 0.11, 0.87 ] 95% correlation confidence interval (using the Fisher z-transformation)
The confidence interval is an estimate the range of the value of the correlation coefficient, using the correlation itself as an input. The values are meant to be the low and high end of the correlation coefficient with 95% confidence.

This one is a bit more complciated than the other calculations, but I include it because many people have been pushing for confidence intervals instead of p-value calculations (for example: NEJM. However, if you are dredging data, you can reliably find yourself in the 5%. That's my goal!


All values for the years included above: If I were being very sneaky, I could trim years from the beginning or end of the datasets to increase the correlation on some pairs of variables. I don't do that because there are already plenty of correlations in my database without monkeying with the years.

Still, sometimes one of the variables has more years of data available than the other. This page only shows the overlapping years. To see all the years, click on "See what else correlates with..." link above.
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change (Percentage)10.84-6.1112.9323.184.22-6.429.0115.84-11.222.324.418.17-11.53
The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana (Laborers)550520700650580460490540490650630560540




Why this works

  1. Data dredging: I have 25,153 variables in my database. I compare all these variables against each other to find ones that randomly match up. That's 632,673,409 correlation calculations! This is called “data dredging.” Instead of starting with a hypothesis and testing it, I instead abused the data to see what correlations shake out. It’s a dangerous way to go about analysis, because any sufficiently large dataset will yield strong correlations completely at random.
  2. Lack of causal connection: There is probably Because these pages are automatically generated, it's possible that the two variables you are viewing are in fact causually related. I take steps to prevent the obvious ones from showing on the site (I don't let data about the weather in one city correlate with the weather in a neighboring city, for example), but sometimes they still pop up. If they are related, cool! You found a loophole.
    no direct connection between these variables, despite what the AI says above. This is exacerbated by the fact that I used "Years" as the base variable. Lots of things happen in a year that are not related to each other! Most studies would use something like "one person" in stead of "one year" to be the "thing" studied.
  3. Observations not independent: For many variables, sequential years are not independent of each other. If a population of people is continuously doing something every day, there is no reason to think they would suddenly change how they are doing that thing on January 1. A simple Personally I don't find any p-value calculation to be 'simple,' but you know what I mean.
    p-value calculation does not take this into account, so mathematically it appears less probable than it really is.
  4. Y-axis doesn't start at zero: I truncated the Y-axes of the graph above. I also used a line graph, which makes the visual connection stand out more than it deserves. Nothing against line graphs. They are great at telling a story when you have linear data! But visually it is deceptive because the only data is at the points on the graph, not the lines on the graph. In between each point, the data could have been doing anything. Like going for a random walk by itself!
    Mathematically what I showed is true, but it is intentionally misleading. Below is the same chart but with both Y-axes starting at zero.




Try it yourself

You can calculate the values on this page on your own! Try running the Python code to see the calculation results. Step 1: Download and install Python on your computer.

Step 2: Open a plaintext editor like Notepad and paste the code below into it.

Step 3: Save the file as "calculate_correlation.py" in a place you will remember, like your desktop. Copy the file location to your clipboard. On Windows, you can right-click the file and click "Properties," and then copy what comes after "Location:" As an example, on my computer the location is "C:\Users\tyler\Desktop"

Step 4: Open a command line window. For example, by pressing start and typing "cmd" and them pressing enter.

Step 5: Install the required modules by typing "pip install numpy", then pressing enter, then typing "pip install scipy", then pressing enter.

Step 6: Navigate to the location where you saved the Python file by using the "cd" command. For example, I would type "cd C:\Users\tyler\Desktop" and push enter.

Step 7: Run the Python script by typing "python calculate_correlation.py"

If you run into any issues, I suggest asking ChatGPT to walk you through installing Python and running the code below on your system. Try this question:

"Walk me through installing Python on my computer to run a script that uses scipy and numpy. Go step-by-step and ask me to confirm before moving on. Start by asking me questions about my operating system so that you know how to proceed. Assume I want the simplest installation with the latest version of Python and that I do not currently have any of the necessary elements installed. Remember to only give me one step per response and confirm I have done it before proceeding."


# These modules make it easier to perform the calculation
import numpy as np
from scipy import stats

# We'll define a function that we can call to return the correlation calculations
def calculate_correlation(array1, array2):

    # Calculate Pearson correlation coefficient and p-value
    correlation, p_value = stats.pearsonr(array1, array2)

    # Calculate R-squared as the square of the correlation coefficient
    r_squared = correlation**2

    return correlation, r_squared, p_value

# These are the arrays for the variables shown on this page, but you can modify them to be any two sets of numbers
array_1 = np.array([10.84,-6.11,12.93,23.18,4.22,-6.42,9.01,15.84,-11.2,22.32,4.4,18.17,-11.53,])
array_2 = np.array([550,520,700,650,580,460,490,540,490,650,630,560,540,])
array_1_name = "NYSE Composite Index Annual Percentage Change"
array_2_name = "The number of wastewater treatment plant operators in Montana"

# Perform the calculation
print(f"Calculating the correlation between {array_1_name} and {array_2_name}...")
correlation, r_squared, p_value = calculate_correlation(array_1, array_2)

# Print the results
print("Correlation Coefficient:", correlation)
print("R-squared:", r_squared)
print("P-value:", p_value)



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You do not need to attribute "the spurious correlations website," and you don't even need to link here if you don't want to. I don't gain anything from pageviews. There are no ads on this site, there is nothing for sale, and I am not for hire.

For the record, I am just one person. Tyler Vigen, he/him/his. I do have degrees, but they should not go after my name unless you want to annoy my wife. If that is your goal, then go ahead and cite me as "Tyler Vigen, A.A. A.A.S. B.A. J.D." Otherwise it is just "Tyler Vigen."

When spoken, my last name is pronounced "vegan," like I don't eat meat.

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Correlation ID: 1963 · Black Variable ID: 315 · Red Variable ID: 18317
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