interest rates

Just a few years after the peak of a global pandemic that significantly disrupted supply chains and catapulted millions of Americans into unemployment, the U.S. economy has made a startlingly strong and fast recovery. Boston Federal Reserve Bank...

Controversy arises as the Federal Reserve decides whether to cut interest rates less than 50 days before an election. Justin Wolfers argues the Fed should be "responding to the data, rather than the electoral cycle, or the demand of either side of...

Recent job reports have not offered a definitive answer on how much the Fed is expected to cut interest rates. Justin Wolfers of the Ford School mentioned, "There’s nothing in this report that would turn optimists pessimistic... Would it turn...

Kathryn Dominguez, Marketplace: The dollar’s value, like the value of goods in any marketplace, is affected by how much demand there is for it. And lately, demand has been weakening.“The main driver is the anticipation that the [Federal Reserve] is...

Kathryn Dominguez, Marketplace: Generally speaking, if more and more people are employed and the unemployment rate drops and drops further, companies may have trouble finding workers, and they’ll raise wages to attract them. That would increase...

Ford School economist Betsey Stevenson’s analysis of the volatile U.S. economy is in high demand.  When the June jobs numbers were released at the beginning of July, Stevenson was quoted in the Associated Press. AP reported, “Friday’s jobs...

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson is widely tapped for her comprehensive knowledge of the state of the U.S. economy. When the debt ceiling deal was reached between President Biden and the GOP in Congress, she told NPR that the...

Justin Wolfers, CNN: "I think the simple view is you can't do two things at the same time. And to try to reduce financial stress would be a force for lower interest rates while trying to reduce inflation would lead to higher interest rates. On the...

Betsey Stevenson, Bloomberg: "I think sticking with 25 basis points is hopefully going to be sending the signal that they (the Federal Reserve) really do believe that the situation is stabilizing. That they don't need to veer from their planned...

Justin Wolfers, BBC: "The best forecast for the future state of the economy is the current state and the current state is good. There's a recessionary vibe, but there's no recessionary...

Betsey Stevenson, Bloomberg: "I think it's really hard to interpret the impact of the interest rate increases on the labor market. And the reason is that we would have to know the counterfactual—what would have happened in the labor market if we...

Jonathan Hanson, Wallet Hub: "The point of interest rate increases is to slow down the economy and thus cool demand. Pressure on prices thus falls. It’s effective for controlling the rate of inflation but does not come without some pain. I think the...

Justin Wolfers, WDET 101.9: "Inflation was distressing. Right now, it may still be a little distressing. The future looks like it's going to be a whole lot less distressing.  The Fed's worried because inflation still is above its target level. It...

Kathryn Dominguez, NPR Marketplace: "In fact, it looks like it was a slight pivot and a hold, as opposed to a marching down a new...

Betsey Stevenson, CNBC: "I think it’s important to realize that the Fed sees themselves as having two tools right now to bring inflation down. One is bringing rates high, and then the other is keeping them high for longer. And I think one thing...

Kathryn Dominguez, NPR Marketplace: Higher interest rates can also help Japan combat inflation more generally. And that could help other countries too, said Kathryn Dominguez, an economics professor at the University of Michigan. "If all...

The U.S. labor market had yet another month of strong job growth, with employers adding 263,000 additional jobs in November. The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday also showed that the unemployment rate remained at 3.7%....

As inflation rates continue to rise and the Federal Reserve attempts to orchestrate a soft landing, many Americans are left wondering when prices will stop increasing. Ford School Professor Justin Wolfers talked to multiple national media outlets...

Ford School economist John Leahy says the Federal Reserve showed “increasing urgency in both word and deed” this week, when it raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a point—the highest such hike since 1994. Still, the professor...

Ford School Professor Betsey Stevenson tackled misconceptions about the Federal Reserve in a “Five myths” Washington Post column, published August 2, titled “Five myths about the Federal Reserve.” In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s recent...

Justin Wolfers’ April 7 column for The New York Times "Upshot" argues: “The economy may be stuck in a near-zero world.” Wolfers cites a new study claiming near-zero interest rates will become commonplace in the United States, impeding the Federal...

Susan Dynarski considers the effects of student loan interest rates in “What does cutting rates on student loans do?” The piece appears in Evidence Speaks, a weekly publication of the Brookings Institution's Center on Children and Families. Dynarski...

Susan M. Collins, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy at the Ford School, was one of several economists who provided insight into possible actions the Federal Reserve could take in the coming year following its decision to not raise...