Radio Show: Looking Backward, Looking Forward

Mike Smitka Professor of Economics, Washington and Lee University WREL Lexington (VA) is changing its format, so today is my last regular ra...

Really, now: the Fed and "Breaking News"?!

Mike Smitka I was having lunch at a brewpub in Kokomo IN last Wednesday (Dec 16) as the multiple screens over the bar proclaimed "break...

Econ Update: WREL Lexington VA

by Mike Smitka, Economics Dept, Washington and Lee University Sept 17 (here) and Sept 24 (below) The Fed – specifically the Federal Open Ma...

Thursday Update (albeit posting late)

Mike Smitka I do a weekly radio segment on the economy on WREL, the local Lexington Virgina AM radio station. Here are my notes from the Au...

tis the season -- or this year, not -- but keep it out of our data

As yet more snow falls, we're reminded ... that it's the start of spring? While this year is colder than any I remember, though not...

US Inflation

Here are 4 graphs that give an overview of inflation from the perspective of both producers and consumers. Data are percent change from the ...

Interest rates, inflation and growth

I go through US data periodically for a weekly radio show on W3Z - WREL in Lexington, Virginia. Unfortunately they don't stream their lo...

Talking Macro: WREL show February 20, 2014

Here are notes from my weekly radio show on WREL Lexington, Virginia. The actual show seldom covers all of the topics I prepare, as what I d...

The Economy and Car Sales

Every month I peruse select details of the monthly labor market surveys – the Current Population Survey and the Current Employment Survey – ...