Economic Insights by Nationwide

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Head of Enterprise Portfolio Management Leo Svoboda discuss December's cut in the fed funds rate, its effect on long-term rates, and their outlook on additional rate cuts in 2026. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber discuss the impact that deregulation could have on home construction, the prospect of a 50-year mortgage, and how these factors could improve the supply and affordability of homes. [NFM-22911AO]

The turkey is carved, the traffic is wild, and deals are in flight—will shoppers go big or keep budgets tight? Nationwide's Ben Ayers and Daniel Vielhaber join the cheer, to unwrap if inflation will Grinch up the year. From Black Friday frenzies to tariffs that bite, we’ll sleigh through the numbers and keep spirits bright. [NFM-22911AO]

The labor market has slowed down this year, contributing to recent cuts in the fed funds rate. What seems to be contributing to lower job numbers? How are economists and the Fed able to assess the strength of the labor market without the BLS employment report – which has been halted by the government shutdown. Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Senior Economist Ben Ayers discuss the...

Nationwide’s Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Vice President of Government Relations Ben Brewster unpack November's election results, the record-breaking government shutdown, the Supreme Court’s pivotal hearing on tariffs, and the economic implications of these developments. [NFM-22911AO]

When the data go dark, how does the Fed keep its balance? Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Nationwide's Chief Market Strategist Mark Hackett explore the risks, rationale, and ripple effects of the FOMC's recent policy decisions made during the ongoing government shutdown. [NFM-22911AO]

The number of Americans living to age 100 is growing and expected to quadruple in the next 30 years. Kevin Jestice (President, Nationwide Retirement Solutions) and Kathy Bostjancic (Nationwide's Chief Economist) discuss the prospect of living longer and its impact on retirement planning. [NFM-23971M8]

Nationwide Financial Market Economist Oren Klachkin, Head of Emerging Markets at Nationwide Investments Rebecca Wilder, and Senior Emerging Markets Analyst Josephine Shea explore the dynamic - and often unpredictable world of emerging markets and global economic trends. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic, Nationwide's VP of Government Relations Ben Brewster, and Financial Markets Economist Oren Klachkin discuss the government shutdown and its impact on economic growth, the labor market, and the FOMC's ability to assess inflation and employment ahead of their October meeting. [NFM-22911AO]

The Manufacturing sector has been in contraction due to weaker global demand following the pandemic. What additional impact are the new tariffs having? What can manufacturers do to navigate the current volatile conditions? Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Manufacturing Lead and Nationwide AVP Erika Melander answer these questions and provide their insight. For more information on this t...

The FOMC held its September meeting this week and announced a cut in the fed funds rate - the first cut since November 2024. Are more rate cuts possible this year? How is the market responding to this cut and the potential for additional rate cuts? Nationwide's Financial Markets Economist Oren Klachkin and Investment Leader and Head of Fixed Income for Nationwide Brad Beman analyze the Fed's decis...

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Financial Markets Economist Oren Klachkin share their analysis and outlook on inflation. Which sectors are still experiencing price increases, which sectors are not, and which ones are feeling the most pressure from tariffs? How could the recent CPI report impact the odds of a potential rate cut at this month's Fed meeting? [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber share their outlook for the housing market, specifically the affordability issues caused by high mortgage rates and rising prices. When could homes become more affordable again and how is this situation impacting rental properties? [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber discuss how inflation has impacted school-related purchases this year - including college students - and how back-to-school consumer spending could impact the overall economic outlook. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Financial Markets Economist Oren Klachkin analyze the impact from tariffs on July's CPI data and provide their outlook for inflation, the fed funds rate, and the overall economy. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Financial Market Economist Oren Klachkin share their insight into Q2 GDP and the Fed's decision to hold rates steady. [NFM-22911AO]

Investment in construction has been sluggish over the past year - mostly from elevated interest rates, higher costs, and economic uncertainty. How has this downward trend impacted the overall economy. How could things turn around in the next year, especially now that the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) has been signed into law? Nationwide's Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber sh...

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Senior Economist Ben Ayers analyze June's CPI and PPI data for tariff-related impacts, how input prices could be affected, and how higher inflation could impact the FOMC's decision to lower the fed funds rate. [NFM-22911AO]

How have the economy and financial markets performed in the first six months? How have the policy changes from D.C. impacted consumers and businesses? And what is the outlook for interest rates, equity markets, and economic growth for the rest of the year? Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic, Senior Economist Ben Ayers, and Financial Market Economist Oren Klachkin provide their perspecti...

Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber provide their insights into consumer sentiment data and how informative it is in forecasting economic growth. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and Chief Market Strategist Mark Hackett analyze the Fed's decision to once again hold the fed funds rate steady in June amid uncertainty from tariff negotiations and geopolitical events. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide economists Oren Klachkin and Daniel Vielhaber react to May's CPI report and discuss the impacts that tariffs could have on consumer prices. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide's Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic and V.P. of Government Relations Ben Brewster discuss the hurdles for the tax bill and its potential economic impact. They also explore the evolving landscape of the new tariff rates amid recent legal challenges. [NFM-22911AO]

How could lower consumer sentiment impact the travel industry this summer? And how much impact does travel spending have on the overall economy? Nationwide economists Ben Ayers and Daniel Vielhaber provide our outlook on the 2025 summer travel season. [NFM-22911AO]

Nationwide Senior Economist Ben Ayers and Economist Daniel Vielhaber analyze April's CPI data and share their outlook for potential tariff impacts on inflation. What did we learn from last month's data? Are we seeing any impacts from the recent changes in trade policy? And are we getting any closer to the Fed's two percent inflation objective? [NFM-22911AO]