FEATURED POST
January 13, 2025
The skills opportunity
Job reports move markets because they’re the strongest signal economists have about the strength of the U.S. economy. But worker productivity is just as important to economic growth; it’s just harder to measure or capture.
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September 18, 2023
Main Street Macro: What happens when the best choice isn’t available? (Asking for a friend)
They say a dog is a man’s best friend, but let’s be real: Sometimes dogs will settle for second best. It’s that way with the economy, too. Central banks are the economy’s best friends for now, but for how long?
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September 11, 2023
Main Street Macro: The hidden truth about promotions
I really enjoy research that tells me something new, something I wasn’t expecting. And that’s exactly what my team delivered last week in Today at Work, our quarterly research publication.
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August 28, 2023
Main Street Macro: Why we care about the care economy
by Nela Richardson, Ph.D. • Jeff Nezaj
Last week, I previewed the Federal Reserve’s meeting at Jackson Hole, an annual convocation of central bankers, academics, and business leaders. This year’s theme was structural shifts in the global economy, so when I was asked to give remarks, I wanted to reflect on a labor market component that's not often discussed – the care economy.
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August 21, 2023
Main Street Macro: Some pain, more gain. Powell’s warning, a year later
The Federal Reserve holds its annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week. The high-profile symposium draws some 120 central bankers, financial executives, politicians, and academics, who meet to discuss important long-term economic policy issues. The highlight of the event is a Friday morning speech given by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Last year, Powell used his speech to deliver a warning for the economy: There will be pain.
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August 14, 2023
Main Street Macro: HR secrets, revealed
by Ben Hanowell
Insight into how the labor market affects our lives on Main Street sometimes comes from surprising places. And what sometimes might seem like a surprising place is where we should have been looking all along.
This week, we found labor market insight hidden in one such place: the HR department. Specifically, HR staffing ratios, the share of a company's employees who work in HR.
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July 31, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Holiday Roads
When economists discuss the economy, they often focus on the national numbers. But state-level data are just as important to understanding the drivers of growth.
As we turn the corner into August and peak vacation season, let’s take a data-driven road trip with three main stops – economic growth, unemployment, and wages.
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July 24, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Hold ‘em, fold ‘em, or walk away?
Some songs capture the ethos of the moment. As Federal Reserve policymakers ponder how to play their hand on interest rates this week, Kenny Rogers has some advice: You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run. With Kenny’s wisdom in mind, here’s a look at the Fed’s cards and what policymakers might be thinking.
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July 17, 2023
MainStreet Macro: Inflation’s construction zone
Last week delivered some good news: Inflation was up 3 percent from last year, the slowest 12-month increase since March 2021.
Inflation was even lower in many areas of consumer spending, but one part of our economy that is continuing to see prices soar is shelter.
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