News Discussions

How should the government respond to unexpected job losses to help workers and the economy?

How should the government respond to the effects of the Iran war on the economy?

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said the Fed is not yet at the moment when it needs to decide whether to "look through" the Iran war energy shock. What they're saying: "It's something we will eventually, maybe, face the question of what to do here. We're not really facing it yet because we don't know what the economic effects will be," Powell told introductory economics students at Harvard University on Monday morning. "We feel like our policy is in a good place for us to wait and see how that turns out." Powell said that the Fed has to consider the economic backdrop against which the shock is occurring. "The broader context is . we've been coming down close to 2% [inflation], post-pandemic, but we've never actually gotten and stayed at 2%," he said. But the Fed chair added that, at least for now, Americans' inflation expectations remain "well-anchored beyond the short term," putting less pressure on the central bank to act now.Powell also joked that maybe the students in the audience should tell him what to do, since they had just completed a problem set on how the Fed should approach such a supply shock. The intrigue: Powell was reluctant to give specific advice to his successor, Kevin Warsh, who is awaiting Senate confirmation. "I'll just say, in general . it's very, very important to stick to your knitting and stick to the things that were actually assigned," Powell said."There's always a time when an administration looks and says, 'It would be good to use [the Fed's tools] for something else,'" he said. "It happens all the time . but we have to be careful to stick to what we're doing." Answering a separate question from a student, Powell offered more insight into how he builds consensus at the Fed. "I think an underrated skill is in listening to people," he said. "If you listen to people, and you hear them . and they understand that you're actually listening to them, and not just communicating at them — for most of the people, most of the time, that's going

How do job losses and rising oil prices affect our economy and what can be done to improve the situation?

Stock movements this week had already been choppy as investors weighed the inflationary impact of the conflict in the Middle East. The jobs report complicated matters

What are the impacts of USDC surpassing USDT in trading volumes on the future of digital currencies?

How do rising oil prices affect our economy and daily lives, and what should we do about it?

Traders brace for longer conflict and further production shutdowns

What implications might the Audit Court's decision have for future financial oversight and accountability in Brazil?

The head of Brazil’s Audit Court said that only the Supreme Court can reverse a central bank decision to liquidate troubled Banco Master SA, effectively backing away from a previous threat to overturn the monetary authority’s ruling

What are the potential impacts of current interest rate policies on economic stability and growth in different sectors?

European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said interest rates are at an appropriate level, though he warned of “enormous uncertainty” due to geopolitical events

How could rising oil prices due to the Iran war affect our daily lives and local economies?

Oil price soars as Iran war threatens energy exports

What are the possible effects of China's rising exports on the global economy and trade policies?

Chinese exports surged 22% in the first two months of 2026 compared to the previous year

How do changes in government spending affect our daily lives and the economy?

Great links, images, and reading from Chartbook Newsletter by Adam Tooze

How might Japan's $63 billion investment in the US affect both countries' economies and their relationship?

What are the pros and cons of allowing self-custody of cryptocurrency in Kentucky's new ATM law?

The provision targets hardware wallet design, raising questions about whether non-custodial products could operate under the proposed rules