Ira Regmi

Aug 22, 2024 | rooseveltinstitute.org | Ira Regmi

Despite large declines in inflation, a much cooler job market, and rising pressure from groups across the political spectrum, the Federal Reserve has maintained interest rates at a range of 5.25–5.5 percent since July 2023. The Fed first began rapidly increasing federal funds rates—the interest rates banks and other financial institutions use when they loan money to one another—in March 2022, starting from a range of 0–0.25 percent and reaching the current  range in July 2023.

Apr 25, 2024 | rooseveltinstitute.org | David Stein |Ira Regmi |J.W. Mason |Mike Konczal

Introduction: Full Employment and the Black Freedom MovementIn 1942, civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin reported back to his fellow activists about the mood in Black communities. “‘How can I get a decent job?’ is invariably the question,” he wrote (Rustin 2012). At the time of Rustin’s writing, unemployment was 3.26 percent (National Bureau of Economic Research n.d.). Despite historically low unemployment levels, Black workers still clamored for quality jobs.

Jan 16, 2024 | rooseveltinstitute.org | Ira Regmi

Current macroeconomic indicators and labor market statistics paint a picture of a resilient economy underpinned by a robust labor market. The United States has enjoyed historically low unemployment rates, bottoming out at a mere 3.4 percent in January and April 2023. Unemployment remained relatively low throughout 2022 and 2023 despite a gradual upward trend, standing at a still-respectable 3.7 percent in December.