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The calendar has turned, and we find ourselves on the backside of Labor Day.  Halloween, however, is nearly two months away.  America finds itself in a sort of doldrums.  Summer is unofficially over, yet the holiday season has not arrived.  Many Americans resort to Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) as a way of taking the edge off of this uneventful period.  If that’s you

Every August since 1982, the Kansas City Branch of the Federal Reserve System hosts an event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  It’s like an economic summer camp, although they probably forego the sticky fingers that come with s’mores.  The idea is to foster open discussions about the economy, exchanging ideas and probably a few barbs.  Typically, the event centers around a s

For many food is an art; for others, it’s an economic indicator.  When times are good, Americans spend on eating out instead of preparing less costly equivalents at home.  As the tide changes, diets tend to change.  Instead of frequenting venues with menus, consumers opt for more affordable, shelf-stable items like rice, pasta, beans, lentils, and oats, along with canned go

Steam engines and factories transformed the modern way of life during the Industrial Revolution.  It rendered many technologies and skills obsolete while opening up an entirely new set of opportunities for those willing to transition away from a cottage industry into the more scalable competition that mechanization created.  Today, the economy could be in the middle of a similar trans

The Federal Reserve heavily influences the American economy.  Every six weeks the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gathers to determine the correct course for monetary policy; they do this by setting the Fed Funds Rate (the amount charged for overnight loans between banks).  In short, they are trying to strike a balance between controlling inflation and supporting the labor market

Arthur “Pop” Momand created the comic “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” a strip depicting the McGinnis family who struggle to keep up with the lifestyle of their neighbors.  Since its creation in 1913, Americans have been doing just that.  Our economy is driven by consumption.  Spending on goods and services represents roughly 70% of the nation’s output

While they are not duking it out like King Arthur and the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, President Donald Trump and Federal Open Market Committee Chair Jerome Powel appear to be at odds.  Both sides are searching for their own holy grail, and their paths keep crossing.

It’s mid-summer Friday morning, and dinner is already top of mind.  I don’t know about you, but something with some leftovers for tomorrow morning’s breakfast, hot or cold, seems about right.  Just one delicious dish comes to mind: pizza.  This classic meal originated as a peasant food, tracing back to 18th-century Naples, Italy.  At the time, it was a city

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, commemorating the birth of America with fireworks, Atlas looks forward to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Championship and the Twilight Zone Marathon.  Joey Chestnut will be competing this year after a sponsorship-related ban in 2024.  We’ve also just discovered that the Heroes & Icons Network (not sure if our house gets th