Ketan B. Patel is a senior policy advisor and head of financial markets risk analysis in the Financial Markets Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He is responsible for analyzing the public ...

Negotiated issuance volume in August 2026 increased year-over-year to $51.6 billion from about $39.4 billion. Offering yields hovered around 3.7% in August, about the same as yield a year earlier.

The Chicago Fed Advance Retail Trade Summary (CARTS) tracks the U.S. Census Bureau's Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) on a weekly basis, providing an early snapshot of national retail spending.

Jane Dokko is a senior economist and economic advisor. She works at the intersection of public policy and research, examining the most important forces shaping economic opportunity and inequality. Her ...

Consumer sentiment is often viewed as a leading indicator of economic conditions, yet public perceptions of the economy are diverging sharply from official statistics and economic forecasts. The ...

Please join us on Friday, December 11, 2026, from 8:00am to 1:30pm CT for the 40th annual Economic Outlook Symposium at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The symposium will examine the forces ...

Financial access — knowing what one's financial options are and having products and services to choose from — is closely linked to economic prosperity. The success of today's immigrants, who come to ...

Coming from academia, banking, community organizations, and other realms, Chicago Fed research and policy staff work toward a key Bank goal: Foster economic opportunity by advancing a healthy economy ...

David W. Nelms is chairman of the board of directors and is the former chief executive officer of Discover Financial Services. He is responsible for all Discover-branded financial services, including ...

The death of a spouse results in a considerable decline in average income for the surviving spouse. The Social Security survivors benefits program compensates the surviving spouse, most often a woman, ...

Burns and Mitchell (1946, 109) found a recession of “exceptional brevity and moderate amplitude.” I confirm their judgment by examining a variety of high-frequency, aggregate and cross-sectional data.

In this Chicago Fed Insights article, we provide an update on the Chicago Fed Advance Retail Trade Summary (CARTS). As readers may remember, CARTS debuted in mid-2021. A summary measure of multiple ...