Types of pattern
Trend | Seasonal variation |
---|---|
Trend refers to long-term increases and decreases in the values.
![]() |
This is often evident in monthly or quarterly data and refers to a pattern
that is repeated each year.
![]() |
Cyclic variation (autocorrelation) | Random fluctuations |
---|---|
This arises when values are similar to adjacent values,
making irregular waves or cycles .
![]() |
These are 'ups and downs' in a time series that do not correspond to trend, seasonal variation or autocorrelation.
![]() |
Most time series show more than one of these patterns to some degree.