Economic Commentary
Pulled pork, pulled sales and winter wonderland
Economy & Policy February 14, 2025 Chief Economist Eugenio J. Alemán discusses current economic conditions. Tariff concerns are not only affecting inflation expectations but also Americans’ consumption patterns. Americans went on a spending spree at the end of last year, probably trying to pull purchases ahead of potential tariffs while eating pulled pork and enjoying […]
Debt limit debate comes back into focus
Economy & Policy February 10, 2025 While the expectation is Congress will raise the debt ceiling, the process is likely to be volatile. The turn of the calendar to 2025 brought with it the end of the federal debt limit suspension. Congress is now on the clock to reach an agreement on raising the debt […]
A historical look at tariffs
Economy & Policy February 07, 2025 Chief Economist Eugenio J. Alemán discusses current economic conditions. Tariffs seem to have become a staple of Americans’ dictionaries lately as the new administration uses this policy instrument to achieve objectives that are not directly tied to the reasons tariffs have been used in the past. That is, typically, […]
Fed holds steady: No news is good news
Economy & Policy January 31, 2025 Chief Economist Eugenio J. Alemán discusses current economic conditions. In the aftermath of this week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision to hold the fed funds rate unchanged (which was what markets were expecting), markets and analysts concluded that Federal Reserve (Fed) members had changed their views on inflation […]