Guhan Venkatu |

Economist

Guhan Venkatu, Economist

Guhan Venkatu is an economist in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. His recent research has focused on the housing and mortgage markets and the regional economy of the Fourth Federal Reserve District, which includes Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Mr. Venkatu joined the Bank in 1998 as a research assistant. He was promoted to senior policy analyst in 2007 and to his present position in 2009. Prior to joining the Bank, he worked as a business analyst for the Claremont Technology Group.

Mr. Venkatu is a member of the Ohio Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland chapter of the National Association for Business Economics. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

  • Fed Publications
Title Date Publication Author(s) Type
Foreclosure Metrics

 

 July, 2009 Guhan Venkatu; Timothy Dunne; Economic Commentary
Abstract: As the foreclosure crisis deepens, increased attention is being paid to foreclosure statistics, which are often used to judge the intensity of foreclosure problems both within and across regions. However, these statistics need to be interpreted carefully; different foreclosure statistics embed different information, and making informative comparisons with various metrics requires understanding how each is constructed.
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Adjustable-Rate Mortgages and the Libor Surprise

 

 January, 2009 Guhan Venkatu; Mark E Schweitzer; Economic Commentary
Abstract: Adjustable-rate mortgages have typically been tied to either of two indexes, one based on U.S. treasuries, the other on the London interbank offered rate, or Libor. The index is used to determine a mortgage’s new interest rate when it is reset, and up until recently, the choice would have made little difference. But since 2007, the rates on which the indexes are based have diverged sharply, and borrowers with Libor-based adjustable-rate mortgages are likely to pay more than they would have had their mortgages been tied to treasuries. Moreover, the proportion of Libor-based ARMs has increased significantly, especially for subprime loans.
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Cleveland (on the) Rocks

 

 February, 2006 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Commentary Guhan Venkatu; Economic Commentary
Abstract: Cleveland’s employment growth has lagged the nation’s for nearly 15 years, a fact that is often blamed on the kinds of industries that are here—either the area is burdened with too much manufacturing, or it has failed to attract enough high-tech industries. But an analysis shows little support for that view.
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Employment Surveys Are Telling the Same (Sad) Story

 

 May, 2004 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Commentary Guhan Venkatu; Mark E Schweitzer; Economic Commentary
Abstract: Two government surveys are used to gather information about employment in the U.S. economy, but the employment levels calculated from each seem to provide conflicting pictures of the labor market. The surveys are very different, but when the differences are taken into account and the survey results are compared with their respective business-cycle patterns, the conflict disappears.
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The Curiously Different Inflation Perspectives of Men and Women

 

 November, 2001 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Commentary Guhan Venkatu; Michael F Bryan; Economic Commentary
Abstract: That men and women occasionally see things differently is not a remarkable observation. But that the sexes could report vastly different perspectives on the rate at which prices are rising over a long period of time is astonishing. This Commentary describes the difference in inflation sentiment held by men and women—a puzzle that may hold the key to interpreting survey-based data on household inflation expectations.
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The Demographics of Inflation Opinion Surveys

 

 October, 2001 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Commentary Guhan Venkatu; Michael F Bryan; Economic Commentary
Abstract: In this Commentary, we document that people report very different perceptions and predictions of inflation depending upon their income, education, age, race, and gender—a strange finding that may provide an important clue to understanding how to interpret survey data of inflation expectations.
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