Southwest Economy Podcast

Texas cattleman Leslie Callahan discusses why that summer-time grilling is likely to remain pricey as the industry contends with fewer ranchers and the threat of disease. Dallas Fed economists Emily Kerr and Mariam Yousuf explore with him the outlook for an iconic Texas industry.

Gary Hoover, author of Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead , discusses with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius why some people who follow the rules for getting ahead instead fall behind.

Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America, discusses the outlook for construction activity amid many challenges including immigration enforcement and tariffs.

Jim Burke, the CEO of Texas-based electricity provider Vistra, discusses the challenges of serving the state and U.S. markets at a time of expanding power demand from data centers and residential users. The Dallas Fed's Pia Orrenius and Garrett Golding explore with Burke what will be needed to keep up.

Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute–SMU Economic Growth Initiative and an adjunct economics professor at Southern Methodist University, discusses his recent report, "Build Homes, Expand Opportunity; Lessons from America's Fastest-Growing Cities" with the Dallas Fed's Pia Orrenius.

Texas is a leader in accepting credentials from for-profit teacher certification providers. Dallas Fed economist Christa Deneault's research examines how the Texas program stacks up with credentials earned through more conventional means. She discusses her findings with the Dallas Fed's Pia Orrenius.

Garheng Kong, a physician by training, founded Austin-based  private equity firm HealthQuest Capital more than a decade ago. He reflects on how changing attitudes and technology, including AI, are changing U.S. health care. 

Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, has been a guiding force behind the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, an alternative to the busy El Paso crossing nearby. He tells Dallas Fed economists Pia Orrenius and Isabel Brizuela how 12 miles of dirt highway eventually led to the bustling Santa Teresa commercial hub.

Former Waco Mayor Malcolm Duncan describes the impact of the Fixer Upper phenomenon—and his early skepticism about the HGTV show's potential to raise the city's profile. Duncan and Dallas Fed economist Emily Kerr also discuss benefits reaped from Baylor University's growth and challenges faced in building a commercial hub squarely between Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin.

Taylor County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent Steve Estes discusses with Dallas Fed economist Laila Assanie the challenges of perpetually coping with little rain in the Big Country, where agriculture and ranching drive the area economy, including that of Abilene.

Ray Perryman, a Waco-based economist who's opined on the Texas economy for more than four decades, discusses his hits and misses as well as what lies ahead with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius.

Enrique Dussel Peters, the coordinator of the Center for Chinese–Mexican Studies at the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, and Dallas Fed economist Jesus Cañas discuss challenges to the triangular trade relationship between the U.S., Mexico and China at a time of rising tensions.

William Serrata has been president of the El Paso County Community College District since August 2012 and has served on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas's El Paso Branch since 2018. He is past chair of the Texas Association of Community Colleges, serves on the Business Advisory Committee and is a member of the Legislative Committee. He discusses the unique, postpandemi...

Sheila Olmstead, a professor specializing in environmental policy at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University, discusses with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius the competing demands for water in Texas and the challenges a growing economy poses.

The number of Texas cattle are at a multidecade low at a time of strong demand and relatively high consumer prices. Dr. David Anderson, a Texas A&M University professor and extension economist, discusses with Dallas Fed economist Emily Kerr what's driving the market, making even hamburger pricey.  

Artificial intelligence, electric cars and power-hungry manufacturing are combining to boost power demand in Texas and nationwide. Dallas Fed economists Kunal Patel and Pia Orrenius examine what it will take to ensure that the lights stay on, and burgeoning user demand is met.

Investment, a large labor pool and proximity to the United States have helped propel Mexico's economic fortunes. Dallas Fed economists Sewon Hur and Pia Orrenius discuss how improving productivity could propel Mexico beyond the ranks of middle-income nations.

Closing the widening federal budget will require tough choices, possibly including new taxes and cuts to entitlement programs, such as Social Security and the Children's Health Insurance Program. American Enterprise Institute tax expert Alan Viard discusses some options with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius.

Brownsville, long a quiet community in the largely agricultural Lower Rio Grande Valley, confronts a burst of activity from SpaceX launches to new port trade. Texas National Bank President Joe Quiroga, a lifelong area resident and Dallas Fed director, discusses the rapid change with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius.

Dallas Fed economists Jesse Thompson and Pia Orrenius  discuss how the employment profile of Texas increasingly resembles the U.S., while the energy sector ensures that the state remains unique.

Economist Jeffrey Fuhrer, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Boston Fed director of research, discusses The Myth that Made Us, his new book about inequalities in the nation's economic system. He offers proposals to close the nation's wealth gap in a discussion with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius.  

University of Chicago Booth School associate professor Michael Weber explains how audiences are most receptive to monetary policy messaging delivered by Fed officials whose ethnic or gender background is similar to theirs. The tendency is also generally observed in other communications contexts, he tells Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius. 

Ben Munyan, the Dallas Fed's Banking Supervision Department's director of supervisory policy, provides insights on lessons learned this year and discusses with Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius where Texas banks stand. 

Beni Lopez, chief executive of the Dallas-based U.S and Canada division of Softtek, outlines the Monterrey, Mexico, company's strategy in the competitive North American market.

Dallas Fed economist David Rapson says electric vehicles often supplement rather than replace existing fossil-fuel powered cars in part two of his discussion with host and Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius.