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The St. Louis Fed's Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, and Nathan Jefferson, associate economist, discuss economic insights about the Arkansas region from the latest Beige Book release.
Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, is joined by Senior Economist Charles Gascon, who helps compile the qualitative summary of economic activity for the Beige Book. They discuss the anecdotal information that is collected and the way it informs how economists think about the economy.
St. Louis Fed economist Nathan Jefferson discusses highlights from the national Beige Book summary. An overall summary of the 12 district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis with the St. Louis Fed responsible for this edition. Also, Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, provides highlights and the latest perspectives about the Arkansas economy.
In this Timely Topics podcast episode, Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the St. Louis Fed's Little Rock Branch, and Nathan Jefferson, associate economist, discuss economic insights about the Arkansas region from the latest Beige Book release.
“Although it isn't exactly new, the most alarming recent feature of financial markets may be the inverted yield curve,” says Chris Neely, an economist and vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, explaining that short rates are higher than long rates currently and have been for some time. Neely discusses his research on the yield curve and recession indicators.
In this Timely Topics podcast episode, Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, and Nathan Jefferson, associate economist, discuss economic insights about the Arkansas region from the July Beige Book.
“Of particular concern is the extent to which wages have kept up with the rising cost of living,” says Victoria Gregory, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, in explaining the distinction between real and nominal wage growth. Gregory discusses her research on inflation and real wages in this podcast episode.
“People’s tendency to learn more information about the economy during crisis and downturns can actually lead to greater uncertainty,” says Yu-Ting Chiang, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discussing the effect of macroeconomic uncertainty on information consumption and decision making.
In this Timely Topics podcast episode, Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, and Nathan Jefferson, associate economist, discuss economic insights about the Arkansas region from the May Beige Book.
“Wealthy households, by investing mostly in their own businesses … compound their wealth at a much higher rate than the rest of the population,” says Serdar Ozkan, a research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, explaining how the wealthiest people became rich.
In this Timely Topics podcast episode, Matuschka Lindo Briggs, senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch, and Nathan Jefferson, associate economist, discuss economic insights about the Arkansas region from the April Beige Book.
“The data shows that most of the individuals during the COVID-19 episode—among those who quit—they quit to take another job,” says Serdar Birinci, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Birinci discusses his research on job transitions in this podcast episode.
“I would say that, in the present conditions, a soft landing is possible given that it’s likely that poaching vacancies go down by more than unemployment vacancies,” says Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. “We’re kind of hopeful.”
“Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level,” says Chris Neely, a vice president in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He discusses the basics of inflation—how it affects the economy, the causes of inflation and how to control it.
When the fed funds rate increases, it turns out that interest rates for checking, savings or time deposits don’t increase by as much, notes Julian Kozlowski, a senior economist at the St. Louis Fed. Consumers may then choose to invest in less-liquid, but higher-return assets. This, in turn, can decrease—or “dry-up”—liquidity in financial markets. Kozlowski discusses all things liquidity in this Timely Topics podcast.
“How can firms and how can governments internalize uncertainty of a future shock and what can they do today to hedge the risks of something happening in the future?” asks Ana Maria Santacreu, research officer at the St. Louis Fed, in her latest discussion about supply chain disruptions.
“FRED is basically a trusted source of economic data,” says Katrina Stierholz, group vice president who oversees FRED at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She is joined by Carlos Garriga, research director; Keith Taylor, FRED data officer; and Yvetta Fortova, FRED product owner; in a discussion about the history of this economic data, how they focus on the experiences of FRED users and share their favorite FRED data sets.
“We’re experiencing relative scarcity of shipping capacity. So, it’s no surprise that we’ve been facing not just higher prices but also increased delays,” says Fernando Leibovici, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He examines international shipping cost increases.
“During the pandemic, a lot of people had reasons to retire and the way that markets evolved allowed them to retire,” says Miguel Faria-E-Castro, a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He is joined by Lowell Ricketts, a data scientist at the Institute for Economic Equity, to discuss the “Great Retirement,” how COVID-19 is connected to increased retirements and the demographics of those retirees.
“Over the past few decades, production has become more global … and as a result, the production process today is more fragmented and is more complex than what it was several decades ago,” says Ana Maria Santacreu, senior economist at the St. Louis Fed, who discusses her research on disrupted supply chains.
“The impact that everyday people can have on policy and procedures,” surprised Alice K. Houston when she first became a member of the board of directors at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She shares her experiences as a child of the civil rights movement growing up in segregated Louisville, challenges she faced as a minority business owner and her commitment to community service.
“The initial effects of the pandemic on employment were actually uneven across occupations,” says Serdar Birinci, economist at the St. Louis Fed, adding that service industries saw the largest effects.
“There are a couple of differences between Black and white millennials that may help explain these [wealth] disparities,” says Lowell Ricketts, data scientist at the Institute for Economic Equity at the St. Louis Fed, who cites student loans and home ownership. Ricketts joins Ana Hernández Kent, senior researcher, in a discussion about the wealth accumulation of millennials.
“As countries have become more integrated, not only in terms of trading goods and services but also in terms of trading ideas, protecting intellectual property has become more important,” says Ana Maria Santacreu, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
“We believe rural communities will achieve longer-term, more durable success if they look inside their boundaries for opportunities to invest in and focus on,” says Daniel Paul Davis, vice president and community affairs officer at the St. Louis Fed. Davis joins Andrew Dumont, senior community development analyst at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, as they discuss a new book they co-edited, Investing in Rural Prosperity.
William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses how the St. Louis Fed works to promote a more inclusive and equitable economy: “We are focused on advancing research that informs equity-based policies and practices leading to an economy that works for everybody.”
Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses how the post-World War II Bretton Woods agreement applies to life in 2021—a time when America and the world are in various stages of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We really needed to help move the needle on educational materials, and so, we’re working to provide educators with up-to-date information and quality teaching resources,” says Federal Reserve Economist Jane Ihrig. She joins economic education coordinator Scott Wolla in discussing how educators should update their teaching on Fed monetary policy tools.
Juan Sanchez, assistant vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about trends in credit card debt, mortgage debt and foreclosures during the pandemic and how they compare with those of the financial crisis.
“Access to college types can be used as an effective tool for the purpose of fighting inequality,” says Oksana Leukhina, economist and research officer at the St. Louis Fed. She talks about how changes to the current meritocratic college admissions system in the U.S. could combat inequality.
Meredith Covington, Supervisory Policy and Risk Analysis manager, and Ana Hernández Kent, Institute for Economic Equity senior researcher, discuss how the “she-cession” is disproportionately affecting women of color and sparking conversations about caregiving responsibilities.
Oksana Leukhina, economist and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about the importance of students understanding the college selection process in the U.S. to tip the scale in their direction.
Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses what firms consider when weighing the decision to post wages for open positions or negotiate with prospective employees instead.
Four senior executives at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis talk about their careers, challenges they have faced as Black Americans and what organizations and allies can do to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
YiLi Chien, economist and research officer at the St. Louis Fed, discusses how investing in the stock market can play a role in wealth inequality. He also explains why some people may choose to not invest in stocks, despite their higher returns historically.
The St. Louis Fed’s Community Development team discusses their work to promote a more inclusive, equitable economy, “one in which everyone can derive benefit regardless of their background, the color of their skin, their gender, or the ZIP code where they reside.”
Researchers at the St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability discuss how demographic variables—such as birth year, race and education—play into the state of wealth and equity in the United States.
Alexander Monge-Naranjo, research officer and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, briefly talks about both the challenges and opportunities presented to the U.S. as the rest of the world becomes better educated.
David Andolfatto, senior vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about how a hot money credit program could help kick-start the stalled economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ana Kent, policy analyst at the St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability, talks about how COVID-19 could cause devastating financial setbacks for millennials, a generation still reeling from the Great Recession, with little to no financial buffer and facing sizable job losses.
Charles Gascon, St. Louis Fed regional economist, discusses his research on COVID-19 schools closings and how they may impact worker productivity, children’s education and even existing gender gaps.
Senior Economist Ana Maria Santacreu and Economist Fernando Leibovici, both of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discuss their research on essential medical equipment imports and how the U.S. is facing a massive shortage of these supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ray Boshara, an assistant vice president, and Lowell Ricketts, lead analyst, both at the St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability, talk about which families are the most vulnerable to income shock like COVID-19.
Juan Sanchez, an assistant vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses COVID-19 related economic shocks and his research on financially distressed Americans. He talks about income declines, social distancing, disease spread and more.
Mary Suiter, an assistant vice president and the economic education officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses April as Financial Literacy Month and offers tips for how parents can teach decision-making skills to their children.
Alexander Monge-Naranjo, an economist and officer in the Research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses the role of human capital as a determinant of a country’s income.
Christopher Neely, a vice president in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses why central banks around the world adopted the practice of setting explicit inflation targets.
Julian Kozlowski, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses his research on the Great Recession and how it changed people’s perceptions. He also explains why listeners should be interested in liquidity and its effects on interest rates.
Don Schlagenhauf, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses his research on the rise in house prices and home ownership rates from 1940 to 1960. He explains the role of changes in government policy, mortgage financing, productivity and the purchasers’ income, age and education.
Sungki Hong, a St. Louis Fed economist, talks about complex production networks: When a “hub” industry like construction contracts, it can hit other industries hard. He discusses how this unfolded amid the Great Recession and why he’s curious about the technology industry today.
Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about the Bretton Woods system, establishing an international monetary system, European reconstruction, and winners and losers from Bretton Woods.
Sungki Hong, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about which occupations may be more affected by automation than others; what motivates firms to automate jobs; and the many forms automation may take, including machines, programs and self-driving cars.
The Federal Reserve is currently undertaking a review of its monetary policy framework. Why is the Fed doing this review? What does it entail? What will policymakers do with the information gathered? St. Louis Fed President James Bullard addresses these and related questions.
Ray Boshara—senior adviser and the director of the Center for Household Financial Stability at the St. Louis Fed—talks about the Center’s first five years, its purpose and its future. He discusses lessons learned when looking from a balance sheet perspective at the recovery following the Great Recession.
B. Ravikumar, senior vice president at the St. Louis Fed, talks about the role international trade plays in cross-country income differences. He discusses the study of economic development, who wins and who loses in trade, barriers to trade and more.
Julie Stackhouse, executive vice president at the St. Louis Fed, talks about the Federal Reserve’s role in bank supervision. She discusses the critical nature of this function during and since the financial crisis, the changing landscape for community banks, the growth of fintech, and more.
What is nominal GDP targeting, and how does it differ from inflation targeting? What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of using nominal GDP targeting? Have any central banks used it? St. Louis Fed President James Bullard addresses these and related questions.
The 2017 federal tax overhaul reduced the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. In this podcast, Economist Don Schlagenhauf discusses the paper he wrote with two co-authors, “Corporate Income Tax, Legal Form of Organization, and Employment” and what their models say the optimal rate is.
In this Timely Topics podcast, Senior Vice President Robert Hopkins reflects on the Little Rock Branch’s 100 years of history, from its start in payments to its focus on economic education and community development.
St. Louis Fed economist Don Schlagenhauf discusses his research about household debt levels and delinquency rates since the Great Recession. He talks about the metrics used to monitor debt levels in the Eighth District and said he doesn’t see any problem areas.
St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria discusses her research on “search and matching,” particularly as it relates to the marriage market. She notes that studying the marriage market is important because it has implications for income inequality and taxation.
Our Memphis regional executive and senior vice president, Douglas Scarboro, talks about how the Memphis Branch of the St. Louis Fed has changed over the past 100 years—from cotton receipts to cash services to the King himself—Elvis Presley.
Why do governments borrow? What happens when a country defaults on its debt? How does a country get out of a debt crisis? St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria answers these and other related questions.
Rising inequality in both income and wealth are at levels comparable to the 1920s, before the Great Depression. St. Louis Fed economist Miguel Faria-e-Castro talks about the link between fiscal policy and inequality in the United States.
By now, just about everyone has heard of bitcoin, but what’s beyond that? Listen to St. Louis Fed economist David Andolfatto talk about the details of cryptocurrency, blockchain and regulation and how they differ – or don’t – from banking systems past and present.
St. Louis Fed economist Ana Maria Santacreu talks about the rise in innovation around the globe. She also explains three ways to measure innovation.
Why should you care about the debt oil-producing countries hold? St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria explains her research on oil-producing countries in the developing world—in particular, their likelihood of defaulting on their public debt. Spoiler alert: Having more oil doesn’t guarantee that a country won’t default.
Hear voices of past economic policymakers and learn about their sometimes bumpy relationships. David Wheelock, St. Louis Fed deputy director of research, gives context, and library director Katrina Stierholz describes resources in online digital library FRASER (Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research).
On April 1, 2018, James Bullard marked his 10th anniversary as president and CEO of the St. Louis Fed. In a series of conversations with his chief of staff, Cletus Coughlin, President Bullard reflected on his role as a policymaker, an academic and a CEO. What’s most fascinating about his journey is that his appointment coincided with the worst financial crisis and recession since the Great Depression.
Get to know FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), a database from the St. Louis Fed that is free to use. With more than 500,000 data series, you will find something you are curious about or need. Start with some basics, such as the unemployment rate, consumer price index, gross domestic product or maybe commute times, crime statistics and household income.
What do economists track during the holiday season to determine if it will be good for the economy? St. Louis Fed economist Kevin Kliesen discusses retail sales (online and in-store), personal consumption, consumer sentiment, payment methods, debt and more.