Three Questions

In its January meeting, the Fed held interest rates steady after a series of cuts, citing slower progress on inflation and uncertainty about the effects of the policies of the new presidential administration. We asked Prof. William English, a former Fed official, to explain the move and the potential consequences of tariffs and budget cuts. ‌‌

We talked to Yale SOM’s Tauhid Zaman about his new research, which examined Twitter data from 2020 to see if conservative users were suspended for misinformation at a higher rate. His findings have implications for the current election season and beyond.

We asked Prof. Cameron LaPoint, whose research interests include real estate and household finance, if Kamala Harris’s proposal can make a difference.

Many homebuyers and other borrowers incorrectly believe that they get a lower rate by waiting until a cut becomes official, according to Prof. Kelly Shue. This misconception is so widespread that it can undercut the effectiveness of Fed monetary policy.

We asked Prof. Fiona Scott Morton, the former chief economist for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, how a successful suit would change the devices and services available to consumers.

The emergence of generative AI has opened new possibilities for the mass creation and dissemination of misinformation. Are the major social media platforms ready? We talked to Prof. Tauhid Zaman, who studies how bots manipulate opinion on social networks.

We asked Yale SOM’s William Goetzmann, an expert on financial markets and the history of finance, what soaring stock prices say about the economy and the future of the markets.

Companies announce climate goals with great fanfare—but all too often, they eventually scale back or fail to implement those pledges. We asked Yale SOM’s Todd Cort how significant these reversals are and what should be done to encourage companies to keep making progress.

Days after he was suddenly fired, CEO Sam Altman returned to OpenAI on November 21, and the board that removed him was overhauled. We asked leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld how the company’s structure and the performance of the board contributed to the chaos.