Spring 2009  Full magazine publication (pdf, 5.9 meg) 

Learn about how economists define when we're in a recession, what that means and how the current economic crisis compares with previous ones.

Further resources:

• "Tracking the business cycle in the Great Moderation"
• The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book on current economic conditions
• The Chicago Fed National Activity Index
• “Recession catches rural America”

Anne Skinner hardly ever has to include trips to the bank on her to-do list, opting instead to bank online. A small majority still favors in-person banking, but new technologies are coming.

Further resources:

• "U.S. Household's Access to and Use of Electronic Banking1989-2007"
• “Location, Location, Location: Has Electronic Banking Affected the Importance of Bank Location?”

Actions of the Federal Open Market Committee have made headlines during the current financial turmoil, but who is on this committee and what do they do?

Further resources:

• More on the FOMC

Listing of officers, directors, advisory council and roundtable groups, and financial reports for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. An explanation of the Kansas City Fed's divisions and a look back at '08 are included.