Charts and Questions for Forecast Project

Charts for Presentations

Below are charts on important economic indicators that you can copy and use in your presentations. Some of the charts contain study questions. To prepare for your presentation, I strong recommend that teams analyze use the charts and answer all of the questions that accompany them.
For each chart:

• Make sure you understand what is being measured on both axes.
• Explain what the indicator reveals about the current economy and what may occur in the future.
• Notice how this indicator usually behaves over the business cycle.
• Identify what the indicator tells you about the best course of monetary policy.

Economists Trim Forecasts of Fed Rate Rises, WSJ Survey Shows

Economists are dialing back their expectations for the timing of the first Federal Reserve interest rate increase this year, in part because of a decline in inflation, according to the latest Wall Street Journal survey.

Most Fed officials have indicated they expect to start raising their benchmark short-term interest rate from near zero this year, and several have pointed to midyear as a likely time for liftoff if the economy evolves as they expect.

Several of the 69 economists surveyed said the Fed may move later because of low inflation, which has fallen short of the central bank’s 2% target for 32 months. “We think the Fed has the leeway to wait until September, on the premise that seeing a bottom in core inflation is important,” said Thomas Costerg, economist at Standard Chartered, referring to a measure of consumer prices that excludes food and energy prices.

 

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Money quiz tomorrow - 15 MC