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Posted 2023-06-01
Data Geographies with FRED® Image

Data Geographies with FRED®

by Diego Mendez-Carbajo

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.

Posted 2023-05-01

Why Are Some Social Media Sites Free to Use?

by Mary Clare Peate

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.

Posted 2023-04-03

Why Are We So Impatient? A Look into Money and Delayed Gratification

by Andrea J. Caceres-Santamaria

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.

Posted 2023-03-01

All About the Business Cycle: Where Do Recessions Come From?

by Scott A. Wolla

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.

Posted 2023-02-01

What Is the Best Strategy for Paying Off Credit Card Debt?

by Mary Clare Peate

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.

Posted 2023-01-03

Adjusting for Inflation

by Diego Mendez-Carbajo

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.