Recently, the stock market has experienced big wins. Economists argue that this increase can be correlated to the fact that, in October, the consumer price index went down to 3.2 percent. The slowed consumer price index is rooted in a campaign by the Federal Reserve, which wishes to “kill inflation” by lowering rates. There is a big debate among economists concerning whether this upward-moving stock market can be backed by economic indicators.Continue Reading

The Stripper Index, named for how it relates the revenue generated by strippers’ cash tips to the financial strain of consumers and the current economic cycle, though it encompasses all forms of sexual labor, has been mostly a joke to economists as they continue to explore different methods of predicting the economy. However, when X user and stripper @botticellibimbo correctly predicted the economic decline in 2022 based on her recent profits at work, economists began to examine the Stripper Index more closely.Continue Reading

When consumer behavior and sentiment dictate how the economy will turn out, it’s no surprise that the sales trends of certain goods on the market can predict economic health. Everything from the height of women’s skirts to the price of Big Mac burgers says something about people’s finances. Community Columnist Felicia Mo explores two unconventional economic indicators – lipstick and men’s underwear – that economists use to signal and prepare for incoming recessions.
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The film Nomadland reveals very real problems concerning how policymakers and corporations exploit seasonal workers, specifically elderly gig economy employees. Although temporary employment may be attractive for companies such as Amazon, policy that targets a reduction in elderly poverty would help prevent aging Americans from converting to a tumultuous nomadic lifestyle, where they face low salaries and poor treatment.Continue Reading

Why International Banks Struggle to Innovate in a Strict Ratings Market. The last time credit ratings probably played a major role in your life—if in fact they ever did—was during the 2008 Financial Crisis. As the canonical story goes, crediting institutions packaged subprime loans, often at B or C level confidence, as reliable A level bonds so that banks could extend their lending power.
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