Question

The simplest method of measuring trend of time series is ..............

Hint:

"Simplest" in statistics often means the least mathematical or computational. Drawing a line by eye is far simpler than calculating averages or regression lines.

Answer 1

There are several methods for measuring the trend in a time series, including the method of moving averages, the method of least squares, and the graphical method. The graphical or freehand method is the simplest as it involves plotting the time series data on a graph and then drawing a smooth, freehand curve or a straight line through the points that seems to best fit the overall trend, without requiring complex calculations.