David Wessel

Supporters watch and listen as U.S. Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich speaks at a town hall meeting at Applewood House of Pancakes in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Randall Hill - D1BESMLOUBAA

Present consequences of unfunded pension liabilities and ways forward

Jeffrey Cheng and David Wessel

Monday, July 16, 2018

A person carries a Puerto Rican national flag during a protest against the government's austerity measures as Puerto Rico faces a deadline on Monday to restructure its $70 billion debt load or open itself up to lawsuits from creditors, in San Juan, Puerto Rico May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez - RC1B567AF880

Why didn’t investors demand higher yields for buying Puerto Rican government bonds?

Joseph Figueroa and David Wessel

Monday, July 16, 2018

A woman walks past a sign advertising a sale in the Old Town shopping area of Pasadena, California, U.S. June 27, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni - RC16547F38A0

The history and future of the retail sales tax

Vivien Lee and David Wessel

Monday, July 16, 2018

The Rocky Mountain News sign is seen on the Denver New Agency building in Denver, Colorado February 26, 2009. Media conglomerate EW Scripps Co will shutter the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rocky Mountain News after a sale process produced no qualified buyers, the company said. REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell (UNITED STATES) - GF2E52Q1P4Y01

How closures of local newspapers increase local government borrowing costs

Vivien Lee and David Wessel

Monday, July 16, 2018

Solar installers from Baker Electric place solar panels on the roof of a residential home in Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California, U.S. October 14, 2016. Picture taken October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake - S1AEUJDNLIAA

Municipalities could benefit from issuing more green bonds

Finn Schüle and David Wessel

Monday, July 16, 2018

Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) participants gather at the Marriner S. Eccles Building in Washington, D.C., for a two-day meeting held on March 18-19, 2014.

Alternatives to the Fed’s 2 percent inflation target

Thursday, June 7, 2018

A 2,000 square foot house located adjacent to the I-210 is seen on the market for $725,000 in Pasadena, California, U.S. November 25, 2017. Photo taken November 25, 2017.

Wessel’s Economic Update: Who is being left out of the housing market?

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Digital currencies: Five big implications for central banks

Vivien Lee and David Wessel

Monday, May 21, 2018

Flags fly over the Federal Reserve Headquarters on a windy day in Washington, U.S., May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E2991B8B0

A veteran central banker’s advice to Congress and the Fed on how best to preserve the Fed’s independence

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

A Chinese national flag flutters outside the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the Chinese central bank, in Beijing, April 3, 2014. Beijing's attack on yuan speculators has proven extraordinarily successful, so much so that traders no longer see it as a short-term intervention but a deeper market shift that has now gained a self-reinforcing momentum. That's bad news for speculators still holding onto bullish yuan positions. And for the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the risk is it has unleashed bearish forces it may not be able to rein in, souring enthusiasm for the yuan and complicating the push to increase the international adoption of the currency. To match Analysis CHINA-YUAN/ Picture taken April 3, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR3NRTO

Wessel’s Economic Update: The Chinese model for economic innovation

Thursday, May 3, 2018