Timely Topics - podcast cover

Timely Topics

St. Louis Fedwww.stlouisfed.org
In the Timely Topics podcast series, economists and other Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis experts talk about their research and current topics in the news. (Views expressed are not necessarily those of the St. Louis Fed or Federal Reserve System.)
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Episodes

Families Most Vulnerable to Income Shock and COVID-19

Ray Boshara, an assistant vice president, and Lowell Ricketts, lead analyst, both at the St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability, talk about which families are the most vulnerable to income shock like COVID-19.

May 04, 202010 min

Financial Distress and COVID-19

Juan Sanchez, an assistant vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses COVID-19 related economic shocks and his research on financially distressed Americans. He talks about income declines, social distancing, disease spread and more.

Apr 14, 202011 min

The Role of Decision-Making in Financial Literacy

Mary Suiter, an assistant vice president and the economic education officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses April as Financial Literacy Month and offers tips for how parents can teach decision-making skills to their children.

Apr 08, 202015 min

The Role of Human Capital in Production

Alexander Monge-Naranjo, an economist and officer in the Research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses the role of human capital as a determinant of a country’s income.

Mar 18, 202020 min

Inflation and Central Banks

Christopher Neely, a vice president in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses why central banks around the world adopted the practice of setting explicit inflation targets.

Feb 19, 202024 min

How the Great Recession Changed Perceptions and Increased Tail Risk

Julian Kozlowski, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses his research on the Great Recession and how it changed people’s perceptions. He also explains why listeners should be interested in liquidity and its effects on interest rates.

Jan 15, 202015 min

Explaining the Midcentury Increase in Housing Prices, Ownership

Don Schlagenhauf, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, discusses his research on the rise in house prices and home ownership rates from 1940 to 1960. He explains the role of changes in government policy, mortgage financing, productivity and the purchasers’ income, age and education.

Dec 20, 201919 min

The Interconnectivity of Production Networks

Sungki Hong, a St. Louis Fed economist, talks about complex production networks: When a “hub” industry like construction contracts, it can hit other industries hard. He discusses how this unfolded amid the Great Recession and why he’s curious about the technology industry today.

Nov 05, 20199 min

A New Look at the Bretton Woods Agreement

Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about the Bretton Woods system, establishing an international monetary system, European reconstruction, and winners and losers from Bretton Woods.

Oct 02, 201923 min

How Advancing Automation May Affect Occupations

Sungki Hong, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, talks about which occupations may be more affected by automation than others; what motivates firms to automate jobs; and the many forms automation may take, including machines, programs and self-driving cars.

Sep 05, 201910 min

Bullard Discusses the Fed’s Monetary Policy Framework Review

The Federal Reserve is currently undertaking a review of its monetary policy framework. Why is the Fed doing this review? What does it entail? What will policymakers do with the information gathered? St. Louis Fed President James Bullard addresses these and related questions.

Aug 14, 201913 min

Center for Household Financial Stability: The First Five Years

Ray Boshara—senior adviser and the director of the Center for Household Financial Stability at the St. Louis Fed—talks about the Center’s first five years, its purpose and its future. He discusses lessons learned when looking from a balance sheet perspective at the recovery following the Great Recession.

Aug 07, 201919 min

The Role of Trade in Cross-Country Income Differences

B. Ravikumar, senior vice president at the St. Louis Fed, talks about the role international trade plays in cross-country income differences. He discusses the study of economic development, who wins and who loses in trade, barriers to trade and more.

Jul 19, 201917 min

Supervising the Nation’s Banks

Julie Stackhouse, executive vice president at the St. Louis Fed, talks about the Federal Reserve’s role in bank supervision. She discusses the critical nature of this function during and since the financial crisis, the changing landscape for community banks, the growth of fintech, and more.

May 08, 201923 min

James Bullard Discusses Nominal GDP Targeting

What is nominal GDP targeting, and how does it differ from inflation targeting? What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of using nominal GDP targeting? Have any central banks used it? St. Louis Fed President James Bullard addresses these and related questions.

Apr 19, 201915 min

What Is the Optimal Corporate Income Tax Rate?

The 2017 federal tax overhaul reduced the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. In this podcast, Economist Don Schlagenhauf discusses the paper he wrote with two co-authors, “Corporate Income Tax, Legal Form of Organization, and Employment” and what their models say the optimal rate is.

Apr 15, 201910 min

Little Rock Branch Celebrates 100 Years of History

In this Timely Topics podcast, Senior Vice President Robert Hopkins reflects on the Little Rock Branch’s 100 years of history, from its start in payments to its focus on economic education and community development.

Mar 25, 20199 min

Household Debt Up, Delinquencies Low Since Recession

St. Louis Fed economist Don Schlagenhauf discusses his research about household debt levels and delinquency rates since the Great Recession. He talks about the metrics used to monitor debt levels in the Eighth District and said he doesn’t see any problem areas.

Feb 11, 201912 min

An Economist’s Perspective on the Marriage Market

St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria discusses her research on “search and matching,” particularly as it relates to the marriage market. She notes that studying the marriage market is important because it has implications for income inequality and taxation.

Nov 28, 201811 min

Cotton, Cash and the King – 100 Years of the Memphis Branch

Our Memphis regional executive and senior vice president, Douglas Scarboro, talks about how the Memphis Branch of the St. Louis Fed has changed over the past 100 years—from cotton receipts to cash services to the King himself—Elvis Presley.

Oct 15, 201815 min

Some Basics on Sovereign Debt and Default

Why do governments borrow? What happens when a country defaults on its debt? How does a country get out of a debt crisis? St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria answers these and other related questions.

Oct 04, 201815 min

Fiscal Policy’s Link to Inequality

Rising inequality in both income and wealth are at levels comparable to the 1920s, before the Great Depression. St. Louis Fed economist Miguel Faria-e-Castro talks about the link between fiscal policy and inequality in the United States.

Sep 13, 201819 min

Bitcoin: Beyond the Basics

By now, just about everyone has heard of bitcoin, but what’s beyond that? Listen to St. Louis Fed economist David Andolfatto talk about the details of cryptocurrency, blockchain and regulation and how they differ – or don’t – from banking systems past and present.

Aug 27, 201816 min

Innovation Is on the Rise

St. Louis Fed economist Ana Maria Santacreu talks about the rise in innovation around the globe. She also explains three ways to measure innovation.

Jun 07, 201813 min

Oil-Producing Countries and Debt

Why should you care about the debt oil-producing countries hold? St. Louis Fed economist Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria explains her research on oil-producing countries in the developing world—in particular, their likelihood of defaulting on their public debt. Spoiler alert: Having more oil doesn’t guarantee that a country won’t default.

May 04, 201813 min

The Personalities behind Historic Policies

Hear voices of past economic policymakers and learn about their sometimes bumpy relationships. David Wheelock, St. Louis Fed deputy director of research, gives context, and library director Katrina Stierholz describes resources in online digital library FRASER (Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research).

Apr 18, 201818 min

James Bullard: A Policymaker’s Reflections on Crisis to Recovery

On April 1, 2018, James Bullard marked his 10th anniversary as president and CEO of the St. Louis Fed. In a series of conversations with his chief of staff, Cletus Coughlin, President Bullard reflected on his role as a policymaker, an academic and a CEO. What’s most fascinating about his journey is that his appointment coincided with the worst financial crisis and recession since the Great Depression.

Apr 12, 201827 min

Have You Met FRED?

Get to know FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), a database from the St. Louis Fed that is free to use. With more than 500,000 data series, you will find something you are curious about or need. Start with some basics, such as the unemployment rate, consumer price index, gross domestic product or maybe commute times, crime statistics and household income.

Jan 24, 201812 minEp. 9

Holiday Spending: A Gift for the Economy

What do economists track during the holiday season to determine if it will be good for the economy? St. Louis Fed economist Kevin Kliesen discusses retail sales (online and in-store), personal consumption, consumer sentiment, payment methods, debt and more.

Dec 20, 20177 minEp. 8
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