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Journal Article
A historical look at the labor market during recessions
Turmoil in housing, credit and financial markets plunged the U.S. economy into a recession that has taken a heavy toll on the labor market. The weakness that began during the second half of 2007 gravely worsened during a period of extreme financial stress in 2008, and the labor market has yet to recover. To put the recession's labor-market impact into perspective, we compare the past two years to previous downturns, including the Great Depression. We also examine the data commonly used to assess labor market conditions. While unemployment rates and nonfarm payroll losses are widely reported, ...
Report
Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe
One hundred trillion dollars?that?s100,000,000,000,000?is the largest denomination of currency ever issued.1 The Zimbabwean government issued the Z$100 trillion bill in early 2009, among the last in a series of ever higher denominations distributed as inflation eroded purchasing power. When Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, Z$2, Z$5, Z$10 and Z$20 denominations circulated, replaced three decades later by bills in the thousands and ultimately in the millions and trillions as the government sought to prop up a weakening economy amid spiraling inflation.
Journal Article
Global and National Shocks Explain A Large Share of State Job Growth
Global and U.S. national shocks on average appear to equally explain more than half of the fluctuations in state employment growth, an important measure of assessing real economic activity. The overall assessment, however, conceals a wide variation among states.
Working Paper
Diversification and specialization of U.S. states
This paper documents the evolution of the international relationships of individual U.S. states along three dimensions: trade, migration, and finance. We examine how specialized or diversified state economies differ in terms of the products they export and with whom they trade, the origins of the immigrants who live in the state, and the origins of the foreign banks operating in the state. We show that states that are diversified along one of these dimensions are often quite specialized along others. New York is?perhaps, not surprisingly?the most diversified state in terms of global linkages.
Journal Article
Cheaper crude oil affects consumer prices unevenly
The recent crude oil price decline is reflected in lower pump prices for gasoline. Other consumer prices are also affected, but the impact and the speed of transmission vary considerably.
Journal Article
Global, National Business Cycles and Energy Explain Texas Metro Growth
A mix of global, national and state-specific shocks help drive employment fluctuations between U.S. states. Econometric modeling shows such differences among metropolitan areas also reflect a mix of shocks. Texas cities strongly tied to oil and gas activity appear more affected by energy-sector shocks than other metros in the state.
Journal Article
Asia recalls 1997 crisis as investors await Fed tapering
Asian economies now appear better positioned to deal with adverse external financial shocks.
Journal Article
China's slowdown may be worse than official data suggest
To get a more accurate picture of China's economy, economists examine other measures of activity that closely track growth but are less prone to political interference than output data. Industrial electricity consumption, a major production input, serves as such a proxy.
Journal Article
Value-added data recast the U.S.-China trade deficit
Value-added trade data provide a needed complementary measure to conventional compilations to aid in the understanding of bilateral interdependence.
Report
Africa—Missing Globalization's Rewards?
Globalization increases integration of world economies through trade, financial ties, information exchange, technology and the movement of people. The rising importance of world trade and capital flows reflects enhanced economic and financial linkages. Nations with superior access to world markets can more fully exploit their competitive advantages, opening their economies to international competition. With greater capital flows and freedom of capital movement, resources more effectively move to their most productive locations, contributing to rising living standards.