Economic Commentary
Providing you with in-depth analysis of current economic and financial issues.
1983
- December 19, 1983
- Sources of Regional Growth Disparity: The Case of Ohio’s Industries
- An examination of industrial structure and competitive position as factors contributing to disparity in Ohio’s regional economic growth, and a discussion of changing economic conditions and business cycle dynamics as they have affected Ohio’s industries. (PDF)
- December 5, 1983
- Banking and Commerce: To Mix or Not To Mix
- A discussion of the existing and potential effects of banking deregulation laws and proposals, with emphasis on issues surrounding efforts to weaken restrictions on banks’ product decisions imposed by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. (PDF)
- September 26, 1983
- The Japanese Postal Savings System: A State-Run Financial Monster?
- An examination of the characteristics and problems of Japan’s postal savings system, including its effect on the Japanese economy and monetary policy. (PDF)
- September 12, 1983
- Geographic Banking Markets
- A discussion of the fundamental differences between banking service and market areas, a review of methods used by regulatory agencies to define geographical markets, and comment on the findings of a 1981 banking-use survey of 528 small Ohio businesses. (PDF)
- July 5, 1983
- Economic Recovery and the Fourth District
- An examination of the nature of economic recovery, with an analysis of the performance of past employment expansions in the Fourth Federal Reserve District, and discussion of the outlook for autos, steel, and capital goods. (PDF)
- June 20, 1983
- The Mythology of Domestic Content
- A commentary on free trade and the auto industry, with a discussion of the growth of Japanese auto imports, the cost and effect of import restrictions, and the probable effects of proposed domestic content legislation. (PDF)
- June 6, 1983
- Velocity and Monetary Targets
- A discussion of Federal Reserve monetary targets and of their relationship to the turnover of money (velocity) in the economy, with an examination of historical trends from 1880 to 1982, and comment on the effect of interest-bearing checking accounts on velocity. (PDF)
- April 18, 1983
- Exchange Rates and U.S. Prices
- An examination of causality between dollar exchange-rate movements and U.S. price levels as described by the relative purchasing power parity theory, with a discussion of channels of price pressure and of the Hooper-Lowrey method of estimating future trends of the dollar. (PDF)
- April 4, 1983
- Economic Outlook for 1983
- A description of the March 1983 meeting of the Fourth Federal Reserve District Economic Roundtable, featuring the median forecasts of 29 economists representing firms throughout the district, with discussion of their expectations for the economy. (PDF)
- March 21, 1983
- Loan Quality of Bank Holding Companies
- A discussion of loan quality at a cross-section of 60 regional bank holding companies located in 12 states, using net charge-offs and non- performing loans as a measure of quality, and examining the linkage between loan quality and bank performance. (PDF)
- March 7, 1983
- Issues in the 1983 Auto-Sales Outlook
- An analysis of the changing auto market and of factors affecting sales (such as consumer income, costs, sticker shock, and affordability), plus a discussion of expectations of 1983 sales. (PDF)
- January 24, 1983
- Soil Conservation: Market Failure and Program Performance
- An examination of the economic rationale behind soil conservation programs, an assessment of the magnitude of the soil erosion problem, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of U.S. soil conservation policies. (PDF)
- January 10, 1983
- Social Security: Issues and Options
- A description of the Social Security system and its funding problems, including a summary of financial projections for the system and a review of proposed reforms. (PDF)