Friday, February 2, 2024

Harvard Professor Greg Mankiw Recommends Fed Stop Giving News Conferences

From Greg Mankiw's Blog, Thursday, February 01, 2024, "Memo to Fed: Stop the News Conferences":
In watching part of Jay Powell's news conference yesterday, I realized that what he is doing to just the opposite of good economics communication. When I write an article, give a lecture, or draft a textbook chapter, my goal is to convey maximum information in the fewest words possible. But when the Fed chair answers reporters' questions, he seems to be conveying the least possible information in the most words possible.
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Here is my recommendation: Stop giving news conferences. The Fed's policy decision and statement should stand by themselves. The Supreme Court does not give news conferences after announcing decisions. They explain their judgment once in writing and then let that stand. The Fed should do the same.

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