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Trying to boost diversity over margaritas at the Fed's Jackson Hole Symposium

Aug 9, 2023
There's been a push to make the annual gathering more reflective of the country's demographics.
Every August, economists and central bank officials gather for the Jackson Hole Symposium. In recent years, there have been efforts to diversify its attendants.
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We're in the stubborn phase of inflation cooling

Jun 13, 2023
The latest data shows inflation is well below its peak of more than 9% a year ago. But there’s a ways to go before the Fed reaches its 2% target.
There’s still a ways to go before the Federal Reserve reaches its target of 2% inflation.
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Fewer cranes on the horizon? Banking tumult could slow nonresidential construction

Mar 28, 2023
Smaller and regional banks are major lenders not only for office construction, but also building projects like hospitals, educational institutions and ports.
Cranes on a construction site in southeast Baltimore work to build office space. Spending for non-residential projects is up nearly 16% in the past year, according to the Census Bureau, and that is due in part to rising building costs.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

Why CDs are music to banks' ears right now

Mar 27, 2023
Certificates of Deposit help banks bring in cash that they can use to make money by lending it at higher rates. Depositors may be looking to CDs as interest rates rise.
According to the Federal Reserve, the amount invested in large CDs — specifically, with accounts holding $100,000 or more — has gone up nearly 44% in the past year.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

It's been one year since the Fed started raising interest rates to curb inflation

Mar 23, 2023
Back then it seemed like inflation might be what economists call "transitory." But here we are.
Economist Laurence Ball said many people including Fed Chairman Jerome Powell dismissed the inflation issue initially.
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Housing costs are a main reason inflation is still high

Mar 14, 2023
The cost of shelter is driving more than 70% of inflation right now, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So what gives?
It can take a year or more for changes in housing costs to show up in inflation data.
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The Federal Reserve's economic policy powers might be limitless, but should they?

Feb 27, 2023
In her book "Limitless," New York Times reporter Jeanna Smialek asks how the Fed arrived at this powerful state.
"[Fed Chair Jerome] Powell and his colleagues knew, even as business news channels cheered on the forceful March 23 response that morning, that it would open his institution up to political criticism and possible mission creep," writes Jeanna Smialek in her new book. Above, Powell during an interview on Feb. 7.
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How a “divorce” between the Treasury and Fed helped build the modern economy

Dec 13, 2022
In the 1950s, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve reached an agreement that helped create the economy we have today.
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Why the Fed's plans to shrink its balance sheet could get complicated

Jul 12, 2022
The central bank has made its portfolio a key part of monetary policy. But the balance sheet's economic impact isn't entirely clear, experts say.
As the Fed has scooped up assets to carry out quantitative easing, some are asking: At what cost? Above, the Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C.
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