Viewpoints

The economic profession and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) statisticians have been debating the proper construction of price indices for decades. It is probably a good time to renew the debate since published price indexes have [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's estimates of state coincident activity in October is in line with other state-level indicators showing a convergence of growth across the nation. The 12-month growth in the indexes lay between [...]

The Federal Reserve is facing the growing possibility of the third asset price bust in the last two decades. And each one has a "Made in Washington" label attached to it as policymakers have failed to use official rates to maintain [...]

State labor markets were noticeably stronger in October than September. Nine states were reported to have had statistically significant increases in payroll employment, although the gains in the Carolinas doubtlessly reflected in [...]

Policymakers are confronted with a very different and challenging environment, both operationally and politically. The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate of full employment and price stability, but is also charged with maintaining [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's estimates of state coincident activity, like the state job numbers, suggest that September saw some slowing in the pace of growth in large portions of the nation. 10 states are reported to have [...]

The Trump Administration has used a variety of changes in fiscal policies---business and consumer tax cuts, de-regulation, increase in defense and domestic discretionary spending and tariffs on selected foreign goods---to help spur [...]

The abrupt and sharp decline in equity prices in recent weeks has been largely pinned on the Federal Reserve as policymakers continue to move forward with their plan to raise official rates. Yet, the sell-off in the equity market is [...]