Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis | Economic Data, Monetary Rates, Economic Education

U.S. Economic News—Week of July 16

Chairman Powell testifies before Congress this week. Beige Book comes out Wednesday. Data releases include retail sales on Monday.
Fertility and Population

Where in the world is the population replacing itself? The FRED Blog maps it out.
Dynamics of Firm Market Power

In Economic Synopses: Small firms exhibit more countercyclical markups than large firms over the business cycle.
Measuring Regional Inequality

Accounting for housing prices shrinks the degree of regional income inequality in China and expands it in the U.S.

From The President

BIO Latest Remarks and Interviews All Speeches, Presentations and Commentary

2018:Q2

Reflections on Crisis to Recovery

James Bullard provides reflections on his first 10 years as St. Louis Fed president and on the financial crisis, Great Recession and subsequent recovery. He highlights some of his key themes and monetary policy positions over that period.
Article
May 29, 2018

A Cautionary Note on U.S. Monetary Policy Normalization

In Tokyo, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard discussed three reasons why caution may be justified in deciding whether to raise the U.S. policy rate further in the near term. The reasons relate to inflation expectations, the neutral policy rate and the flattening yield curve.
Presentation (pdf) | Press Release

Medicaid Can Increase Saving by Distressed Households
Issue-20 2018 | In the Balance
After Medicaid eligibility, financially stressed families chose to save more from tax refunds, but low-income families that weren’t as financially stressed didn’t make major changes to saving choices.
CEO Succession at Rural Banks
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
New CEOs at rural banks are younger than their urban peers, a marked change from 1997 to 2008.
Hispanics and Their Contribution to America’s Human Capital
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
Despite making gains in higher-skill occupations, Hispanics are more likely to end up in lower-skill jobs. This disparity may be due to Hispanics lagging behind their non-Hispanic peers in education.
Reflections on Crisis to Recovery
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
James Bullard reflects on his first 10 years as St. Louis Fed president and highlights some of his key themes and monetary policy positions over that period.
Women in Economics: Loretta Mester

“We are identified as women in the field, and yet, we really want to be known as good in the field regardless of whether we’re a woman or a man,” says Loretta Mester, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, in this Women in Economics podcast.
Innovation Is on the Rise

In our Timely Topics podcast, St. Louis Fed economist Ana Maria Santacreu talks about the rise in innovation around the globe. She also explains three ways to measure innovation.
Housing Costs and Regional Income Inequality in China and the U.S.
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
Regional income inequality in China isn’t as severe when housing costs are also taken into account. However, the disparity is greater than in the U.S.
St. Louis Fed Steps in to Provide More-Timely Jobs Data
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
St. Louis Fed supplements state and local employment data from the BLS, which provides just one revision a year.
U.S. Economic Growth Appears Solid This Year
Second Quarter 2018 | Regional Economist
Forecasters expect the U.S. economy to sustain above-trend growth, perhaps close to 3 percent, for the remainder of 2018.