FRED can display data in choropleth maps, using shading and colors to convey historical and current data for a given area. This Page One Economics Data Primer describes the different data geographies available in FRED, which helpshape the stories behind the numbers.
If companies always try to maximize profits, why are so many social media sites free to use? Learn how these platforms operate, as well as what positive and negative “network effects” are at play, in this May 2023 issue of Page One Economics.
Getting excited about saving for the future can be hard. We are not as emotionally tied to the future as we are to the present. In this Page One Economics®: Focus on Finance, we look at the psychological forces of delayed gratification and self-control, which help us work toward the future benefits of saving money.
What constitutes a recession? Two quarters of negative real GDP growth? Well, most of the time that “rule of thumb” definition works, but not always. The NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee has a more nuanced way of determining what a recession is. This essay discusses where recessions come from, how they are determined, and how they end.
Most of us use credit cards, and many of us have credit card debt. Economists and personal finance gurus disagree on the best strategies for paying off that debt across multiple credit cards. Check out our February 2023 issue of Page One Economics®: Focus on Finance to see why.
As inflation raises the overall price level in an economy, the purchasing power of the dollar decreases and both borrowing and lending costs increase. The January 2023 issue of Page One Economics® discusses how price indexes can be used to transform nominal wages and interest rates into real, or inflation-adjusted, values.
