The Inside Economics hosts welcome Professor Alice Kassens to discuss her use of the Inside Economics podcast as a teaching tool at Roanoke College. Alice describes how the podcast inspires her students to learn about and debate the meaning of economic releases. After a quick round of the statistics game which Alice dominates, the group discusses the effects of a potential government shutdown on the economy and financial markets. Guest: Alice Louise Kassens , Professor of Economics at Roanoke Co...
Dec 20, 2024•59 min•Ep. 195
Inside Economics had the fortune to have Alan Blinder, Princeton University economics professor, former Vice Chair of the Fed, and author of the recent book “The Monetary and Fiscal Policy History of the United States, 1961-2021” join the podcast on the day the Fed cut rates but warned investors not to count on more rate cuts anytime soon. At least not until Fed officials get a fix on incoming President Trump’s economic policies, ranging from tariffs and deportations to tax cuts and Fed independ...
Dec 19, 2024•52 min
The Inside Economics team weighs this past week’s inflation data and considers what it means for the Fed’s interest rate decision next week and in 2025. With sticky inflation, a strong(er) economy, easier financial conditions, and looming tariffs and immigrant deportations, more rate cuts next year appear increasingly less likely, and rate hikes even a possibility. Take the survey on Economy.com Guest: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 194
Mark, Cris, and Marisa are joined by their colleague Adam Kamins and his infamous closet doors, along with Rebecca Rockey, Deputy Chief Economist at Cushman Wakefield, and Chris Leinberger, Managing Director at Places Platform. Rebecca and Chris review key takeaways from their recent study, Reimagining Cities-Disrupting the Urban Doom Loop . Among the variety of topics covered are the importance of Walkable Urban places; the optimal mix of work, live, and play in cities; how to ensure that the c...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 10 min
With Marisa out on assignment, Dante joins Mark and Cris to discuss the latest U.S. employment report. After several volatile months due to hurricanes and labor strikes, the job market found its footing in November, with payroll growth reported across most industries. The team considers the report's implications for monetary policy and the long-run interest rate outlook. With all of the policy unknowns, they conclude that the only certainty is uncertainty. Guest: Dante DeAntonio, Senior Director...
Dec 06, 2024•41 min•Ep. 193
Moody’s Analytics own Scott Hoyt joins the Inside Economics team to discuss the state of the American consumer, as the critical Christmas buying season is set to begin. Consumers have been powering the broader economy, and the team expects that to continue. But there are a number of consumer-related puzzles, which the team works to solve. Guest: Scott Hoyt, Senior Director of Economic Research, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief ...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 192
Joe Hazell, Assistant Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, joins the podcast to discuss inflation. Joe breaks down the reasons for the lack of inflation in the pre-pandemic period and the primary causes of inflation over the past four years. The team discusses why the average American is much more sensitive to inflation than unemployment and whether the Fed should rethink how it balances the two when considering monetary policy. Finally, the discussion turns to the incoming ...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 191
The Inside Economics team assesses the inflation statistics, and why there is no going back to the where prices were prior to fallout from the pandemic and Russian war in Ukraine. And while inflation has largely been quelled, President-elect Trump’s tariff, immigration and other policies threaten to fan inflation anew. There is also the stats game and listener questions. Guest: Matt Colyar - Assistant Director, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRiti...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 190
Chris Avallone, Head of Merchant Banking at Amherst, joins the Inside Economics crew to discuss the housing market. The group examines the "lock-in" effect keeping existing homeowners in their homes and the "lock-out" effect preventing aspiring homebuyers from realizing their dreams. Chris describes a playbook that local governments could use to address zoning and free up the "locked up" housing market. After a quick stats game, Mark polls the group for their forecasts for when and how the housi...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Mark joins the podcast from Europe to provide the European perspective on the U.S. election and how the outcome may affect their economies. The team then dissects the reactions of the stock, bond, and cryptocurrency markets before turning to listener questions. Marisa asks the group for their views on the vibecession, a term coined by Kyla Scanlon, to explain the disconnect between economists and the general public, and the integrity of economic data. Cris's dog makes a special guest appearance....
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 189
Dante joins the podcast to discuss the October employment report. The impact of recent strikes and hurricanes weighed on the headline jobs figure, but everyone agrees that underlying job growth remains strong. Cris and Mark debate the reasons why productivity growth in the U.S. has outpaced the rest of the world, but Dante remains skeptical that recent productivity success is sustainable. Guest: Dante DeAntonio, Se nior Director of Economic Research, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief E...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 188
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum and former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, joins Mark and Cris to discuss vexillology, potential election outcomes, and the impact of proposed immigration and tariff policies on the economy. After a quick statistics game, Doug shared his insights on the national debt and how the government's fiscal imbalances may ultimately be resolved. Guest: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of American Action Forum Read this week's "Week in...
Oct 25, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 187
Ben Harris, Brookings’ Director of Economic Studies, joined the Inside Economics team to talk about the economy, the presidential election, and the economic policies of Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The bottom line: buckle in. The election will likely be close and contentious, and the ultimate makeup of government will result in very different directions for policy and the economy’s future performance. Today's Guest: Ben Harris - Brookings, Vice President and Director of Econ...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 186
Matt Colyar and Adam “Hurricane” Kamins join the podcast to discuss this week’s inflation data and the economic impact of Hurricane Milton. The team parses the latest CPI report and debates whether inflation is “sticky” or “moderating”. Adam discusses his work on estimating the economic damage from the recent string of devastating hurricanes. The team also discusses the potential longer-term fallout on housing and migration in storm-prone areas like Florida. For the paper on the impact of homeow...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 185
Mark and Cris are joined by Dante and Michael Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Dante kicks things off with a detailed summary of the stronger than expected U.S. employment report for September. Buoyant wage growth and upward revisions to July and August’s numbers confirm that the economy remains healthy. The discussion then pivoted to the presidential election with Michael making a strong case for status quo economic policies and divided governmen...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 184
Is this the best economy ever? Given the big revisions to GDP and the steady stream of other stellar economic data, the Inside Economics team makes the case that it is. Moderating inflation, full employment, stronger savings rates and steady corporate profits point to an economy that is stronger than consumer confidence suggests. The team also discusses the latest economic proposals from the presidential campaign and a recent opinion piece comparing Mark’s forecasts to those of Punxsutawney Phil...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 183
Economist Martin Wurm joins Inside Economics to discuss the Fed’s rate cut earlier this week, which was larger than the IE team expected. Martin talks about the decision behind the large cut and what it means for the future path of interest rates and the forecasts for the rest of the economy. The team discusses the rate decision’s impact on the housing market and mortgage rates and ends by playing a tough stats game. Guest: Martin Wurm – Director-Economic Research, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark ...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 182
The Inside Economics team breaks down the latest inflation data -- August’s consumer price index. They unpack the underlying components, focusing most of their attention on the confounding acceleration in shelter inflation. “Eggflation” makes a return to the podcast as well. Nevertheless, U.S. inflation has cooled considerably, and the Fed is set to start lowering their policy rate at next week’s meeting. What will that mean for U.S. consumers and businesses? Finally, Marisa takes some listener ...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 181
The Inside Economics crew gathers in Southern California for an early morning reaction to the August jobs report, which they all concur is “pretty good”. They discuss the implications of slowing job growth for the Fed’s upcoming meetings as well as the presidential election. Finally, they all give their odds for a recession occurring in the next year—Cris remains the bear of the group. Guest: Dante DeAntonio - Senior Director, Economic Research Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analyt...
Sep 06, 2024•35 min•Ep. 180
The Inside Economics team discusses what they found most encouraging and disquieting in the blizzard of economic releases and events of this past week. Emily Mandel, our state and local government expert, also weighs in on the fiscal health of states and how the economy is performing in states that stand to swing the Presidential election. The group also takes up listener questions; keep the Qs coming. Guest: Emily Mandel - Associate Director, Senior Economist, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zand...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 179
Brendan LaCerda (not Canadian) joins Mark, Cris & Marisa to discuss a plethora of topics, including the Canadian railroad workers strike, the revisions to the employment numbers, Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, and the Moody’s Analytics election model. The team takes a few thought-provoking listener questions on the housing market and the savings rate. Reach out to us with any questions or suggestions at helpeconomy@moodys.com Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 178
With the release of July’s consumer price index this week, the Inside Economics team discusses the current state of U.S. inflation. As they dig into the underlying details, they debate what they see as root causes. Specifically – are corporations taking advantage of consumers by keeping prices higher than they should? If so, are recent policy proposals to address ‘price gouging’ likely to be effective? Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist,...
Aug 16, 2024•45 min•Ep. 177
It has been a hair on fire couple weeks for global investors. Stock, bond, commodity and foreign exchange markets have been buffeted by wild swings. No better person to discuss this with than Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Institute of International Finance, Goldman Sachs and the IMF. Robin weighs in on the reasons for the volatility, including policy missteps by the Bank of Japan, and considers what it all means for monetary policy and the economy...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 176
Nick Bunker from Indeed joined the podcast to break down July’s surprisingly weak employment report. The team put forward their favorite interjections before breaking down the report into causes for concern, potential measurement issues and (a few) reasons for cautious optimism. The discussion turned to the “Sahm Rule” as the group pondered whether the recent rise in the unemployment rate is signaling a recession. Mark and Marisa both claimed victory in the Statistics Game before the podcast end...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 175
Muzaffar Chishti, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, shares his insights with the Inside Economics podcast on the challenges and opportunities posed by the recent surge in foreign immigration. He dispels various misconceptions around immigration and lays out a cogent immigration reform plan. Immigration policy will be at the top of the next President’s policy agenda, and hopefully they tap Muzaffar for his advice. Today's Guest: Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow - Migration Policy In...
Jul 30, 2024•58 min
John Leer, Chief Economist from Morning Consult and frequent Inside Economics guest, joins the team to discuss the past week’s slew of (mostly) very good economic data. John discusses the latest consumer sentiment surveys and why they have diverged so sharply from observed consumer behavior. He also talks about changing expectations for the upcoming Presidential election and Senate races in light of the past week’s political events. Today's Guest: John Leer, Chief Economist of Morning Consult Fo...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 174
The CrowdStrike debacle delayed this week's Inside Economics podcast but did not deter it. PNC Chief Economist Gus Faucher joined the team to talk about his outlook for the economy, the conduct of monetary policy and his thinking around the election and what it means for policy and the economy. Despite living in Pittsburgh now, it was good to hear he remains a Phillies fan. Today's Guest: Augustine Faucher, Chief Economist - The PNC Financial Services Group Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, M...
Jul 20, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 173
Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Boston Consulting Group’s Global Chief Economist, joins the Inside Economics team to share his views on the economy and discuss his newly published book. He makes the case that macroeconomic threats are intensifying and can no longer be ignored by decisionmakers. He also provides a nifty framework for how to assess the seriousness of these threats and not get caught up in the doom and gloom that often characterize them. Today's Guest: Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak - Global C...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 172
Dante joins the podcast to break down the June employment report. While everyone agreed that the report was mostly good, concerns remain around the concentration of job gains and the slowdown in hiring. With job growth moderating and the unemployment rate edging higher, the team argues that the time is now for the Fed to start cutting rates. Link to survey Guest Hosts: Dante DeAntonio - Senior Director, Moody's Analytics Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Depu...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 171
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will pursue very different economic policies if reelected. Both have put forward a wide range of proposals to change the tax code, government spending, and trade, immigration and regulatory policies that if implemented could have significant consequences on the economy’s performance for years to come. In this bonus episode of Inside Economics, the team considers what policies would likely be implemented under different election scenarios and ...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min
