Search Results
Newsletter
Why Is It So Difficult To Buy a High-Quality Used Car?
With prices of new vehicles at all-time highs, many buyers are looking for used vehicles. It can be challenging, though, to figure out what is or isn?t a good deal. The September 2016 issue of Page One Economics explains why asymmetric information makes it difficult for used-car buyers to avoid ?lemons? and why lemons are a larger problem for the used-car market.
Newsletter
How Does the Gig Economy Support Entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurs take risks to develop new products and start new businesses. In the early phases of starting a business, when an entrepreneur’s income is sometimes lacking or unstable, the gig economy offers opportunities to supplement and smooth income. This Page One Economics® essay discusses this relationship, including some interesting research on the topic.
Newsletter
Investing in yourself: an economic approach to education decisions
"Human capital" may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about investments, but investing in education and training is an important economic decision. Learn about human capital and the return on such an investment in the February 2013 Page One Economics Newsletter?"Investing in Yourself: An Economic Approach to Education Decisions."
Newsletter
Inflation Expectations, the Phillips Curve, and the Fed’s Dual Mandate
This Summer 2021 issue of Page One Economics describes how to think about stable prices, how inflation has evolved in recent years, how the relationship between inflation and employment is changing, and what the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has recently stated about its strategy to meet its price stability goal.
Newsletter
Making Sense of Unemployment Data
Job growth has been healthy over the past five years. However, many people are still concerned about the overall health of the labor market. This issue of Page One Economics explains what the unemployment rate does?and does not?measure and whether it is a reliable indicator of the health of the labor market.
Newsletter
The output gap: a “potentially” unreliable measure of economic health?
The output gap is one (of many) economic indicators used by economists to measure the strength of the economy. What exactly is the output gap, and how accurately does it predict the state of the economy? Read this month's Page One Economics Newsletter, "The Output Gap: A ?Potentially? Unreliable Measure of Economic Health," for an explanation of the output gap and answers to these questions.
Newsletter
The Importance of Diverse Perspectives: Strategies for Supporting Women in Economics
There is a lack of diversity in the field on economics, which limits the range of perspectives during research and policy discussions. Without diverse perspectives, economists are in danger of not identifying key parts of a problem and not considering a full array of solutions. This Women in Economics special issue of Page One Economics presents the case that diversity among economists is needed to gain a wider perspective during economic research and policy development.
Newsletter
The Rise (and Fall) of Inflation During the Early 2020s
Inflation has been on many people’s minds. There are several measures of inflation available, and each one plays a role in providing a more complete understanding of inflation’s causes and effects. This Page One Economics® Econ Primer describes key measures of inflation, including the consumer price index, and how the Federal Open Market Committee pays particular attention to these measures as it makes policy decisions—adjusting its policy stance when necessary to move the economy toward maximum employment and price stability.
Newsletter
Wait, is saving good or bad? the Paradox of thrift
The average saving rate for the typical American household before the recession started in 2007 was 2.9 percent; since then it has risen to 5 percent. Uncertainty about the future was the primary driver for the increase. More saving is a good thing, right? Well, some economists argue it might be detrimental to the overall economy. Given the benefits to individuals, how could this be? This month?s Page One explores this ?paradox of thrift.?
Newsletter
Minding the Output Gap: What Is Potential GDP and Why Does It Matter?
Potential output is an estimate of what the economy could produce. Actual output is what the economy does produce. If actual is below potential -- a negative output gap -- there is "slack" in the economy. If actual is above potential -- a positive output gap -- resources are fully employed, or perhaps overutilized. This issue of Page One Economics explains how the output gap is useful for checking the health of the economy. It also points out how errors in the estimation of potential real GDP can reduce the effectiveness of policy.