http://www.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis en-us Copyright 2000 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis webmaster@stlouisfed.org Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00:00 CDT Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT The collapse of trade during the financial crisis can be tied, for the most part, to a drop in demand.  Less talked about, however, is the role of financing—or lack thereof.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist RATED: 4.0 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:00:00 CDT To those who don't know, the term "shadow banking" probably has a negative connotation. This primer draws parallels between what has been termed the shadow banking sector and the traditional banking sector—showing that they are similar in many ways.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:00:00 CDT This Q&A on the federal deficit is a preview of the "Dialogue with the Fed" that the public is invited to Oct. 18 at the St. Louis Fed.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:00:00 CDT All of the attention given to raising the debt ceiling this past summer might lead some to believe that spending by the federal government only recently became unsustainable.  Hardly.  We've been on this path a long time.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:00:00 CDT With soaring commodity prices and farmland values in recent years, banks with an agricultural focus (where at least 25 percent of total loans are production and farmland loans) have outperformed their community bank peers. Find out what risks agriculture banks may face.

]]> PUB: Central Banker RATED: 1.5 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT Commodities of all sorts have risen in price over the past few years.  Some say that the prices reflect a bubble, driven by low interest rates and excessive speculation.  Others say the price gains can be fully explained by supply and demand. 

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT Although some believe the changes could lead to more loans reported as troubled debt restructurings, the update’s purpose is to explain and expand on previous guidance.

]]> PUB: Central Banker RATED: 4.0 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT Every year, 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States. A clear moral and policy failure, this ongoing crisis is also an economic disaster.

]]> PUB: Bridges RATED: 1.5 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT At least early in the financial crisis, the high rate of foreclosures seemed to be due more to households' overreaching than to predatory lending.  A disproportionate number of those being foreclosed on were well-educated, well-off and relatively young people.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT Today's high unemployment rate is often linked to a structural imbalance—a mismatch between the skills and location required to fill vacant jobs and the skills and geographical preferences of the unemployed.  But the evidence downplays the role of this mismatch.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 CDT ]]> PUB: Inside the Vault UNRATED: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT ]]> PUB: The Regional Economist UNRATED: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT Find out why community banks will benefit from the new FDIC assessment base as called for under the Dodd-Frank Act. 

]]> PUB: Central Banker UNRATED: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT ]]> PUB: Inside the Vault UNRATED: Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT This issue of Bridges is devoted to topics covered during the Exploring Innovation conference in St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of conference happenings, visit 2011.exploringinnovation.org

]]> PUB: Bridges RATED: 2.0 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT Better-educated people appear to be in better health than less-educated people. But does more education cause better health, or are there other factors at play – such as income and access to information?

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist RATED: 1.5 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 CDT Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once called Bangladesh the world’s “basket case.” Unfortunately, the perception that many people still have of this little country consists of one simple idea—it’s one of the poorest countries in the world. But Bangladesh—poised for record growth—is the cradle of modern-day microfinance. Daniel Davis traveled there as a participant in the 17th Biennial International Consortium on Social Development Symposium and discovered a different world, one with some potential solutions for economic development in America.

]]> PUB: Bridges RATED: 4.0 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:00 CDT ]]> PUB: Bridges RATED: 3.0 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:00 CDT ]]> PUB: The Regional Economist RATED: 1.5 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:00 CDT In late December 2007, most economists realized that the economy was slowing. However, very few predicted an outright recession. Like most professional forecasters, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) initially underestimated the severity of the recession.

]]> PUB: Inside the Vault RATED: 2.0 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:00 CDT Under a mandate from the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve proposed standards for determining whether debit card interchange fees are “reasonable and proportional” to the cost of the transaction.

]]> PUB: Central Banker RATED: 1.0 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:00 CDT The largest national banks apparently have turned the corner on asset quality issues, but this improving trend has not yet emerging across the Eighth District. 

]]> PUB: Central Banker RATED: 1.5 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 CDT Recently released data on economic forecasts made by voting and nonvoting members of the FOMC suggest that there is more disagreement than the voting record indicates.

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist RATED: 1.0 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 CDT Surprising many, research has demonstrated that poor people can in fact save and build assets. They just need a well-structured opportunity, like the rest of us. This article summarizes this and other surprising findings from the last 15 years about how the poor save and what difference it makes to their balance sheets, their attitudes and behavior, and their prospects for moving up the economic ladder.

]]> PUB: Bridges RATED: 3.0 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 CDT Their share of the foreign investment pie grew from 0.4 percent in 1970 to 15.8 percent in 2008. What’s behind the growth?

]]> PUB: The Regional Economist RATED: 2.0 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:00 CDT