OpenBB-finance/OpenBB · warning · EmptyDataError

There was an error with the request and was returned empty.

Error message

There was an error with the request and was returned empty.

What it means

Raised in FredUofMichiganFetcher.transform_data (openbb_fred/models/university_of_michigan.py:119) when the DataFrame of observations from the delegated FredSeriesFetcher is empty. The consumer sentiment series (UMCSENT/UMCSENT1, MICH, etc.) are fetched then merged and normalized; empty input means the upstream series request returned nothing, usually rate limiting, invalid key, or a date range outside coverage.

Source

Thrown at openbb_platform/providers/fred/openbb_fred/models/university_of_michigan.py:119

        except Exception as e:
            raise e from e

        return {
            "metadata": response.metadata,
            "data": [d.model_dump() for d in response.result],
        }

    @staticmethod
    def transform_data(
        query: FredUofMichiganQueryParams, data: dict, **kwargs: Any
    ) -> list[FredUofMichiganData]:
        """Transform data."""
        # pylint: disable=import-outside-toplevel
        from pandas import DataFrame

        df = DataFrame(data.get("data", []))
        if df.empty:
            raise EmptyDataError(
                "There was an error with the request and was returned empty."
            )
        metadata = data.get("metadata", {})
        # Combine the legacy series with the new one.
        if "UMCSENT1" in df.columns:
            df["UMCSENT"] = df["UMCSENT"].fillna(df["UMCSENT1"])
            df = df.drop(columns=["UMCSENT1"])
            metadata.pop("UMCSENT1", None)

        # Normalize the percent values.
        df["MICH"] = df["MICH"] / 100
        if query.transform and query.transform not in ["chg", "ch1", "log"]:
            df["UMCSENT"] = df["UMCSENT"] / 100

        df = df.rename(
            columns={"UMCSENT": "consumer_sentiment", "MICH": "inflation_expectation"}
        )
        records = (

View on GitHub (pinned to 3e071fcc2c)

Solutions

1. Retry after 60 seconds (rate limiting).
2. Set end_date to a published date or clear the date filters.
3. Verify UMCSENT via fred_series to confirm availability.

from openbb_core.provider.utils.errors import EmptyDataError

try:
    res = obb.economy.fred.university_of_michigan(start_date=s, end_date=e)
except EmptyDataError:
    res = obb.economy.fred.university_of_michigan()

When it happens

Trigger: Calling economy/fred university-of-michigan while rate limited; start_date in the future; the legacy UMCSENT/UMCSENT1 series both empty for the window.

Common situations: Bundled FRED batch jobs hitting the request cap; recent-month requests before the preliminary sentiment print is published on FRED.

Related errors

• No data found for the item and region combination. You may a
• There was an error with the request and it was returned empt
• The request was returned empty.
• The request was returned empty.
• The request was returned with no data.

AI-assisted analysis of OpenBB-finance/OpenBB@3e071fcc2c (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/31103e1208de4090. Report an issue: GitHub.