May 07 2019 36 mins 289
The Federal Reserve’s got quite the puzzle on its hands. We’re dealing with one of the longest job growth streaks in modern history. And yet, the economy isn’t working as expected. Interest rates and inflation are simply not behaving according to standard economic models. And it’s the Fed’s job to figure out what’s going on in the name of keeping things stable and growing. New York Times’ senior economics correspondent Neil Irwin returns to break things down for us. Plus, we hear from the ‘Iolani High School economics team (good luck at the finals!) on their favorite Fed chairs. And artist and author Jenny Odell answers the Make Me Smart question. Some links from this week’s episode: Molly Wood’s news fix on UFOs, Kai Ryssdal’s latest on the trade war, how Crispr could help fight climate change and Molly’s secret weapon for today’s economics-focused episode.
