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Economic Bulletin Archive

The Economic Bulletin offers snapshots of the Kansas City Fed's latest economic findings and perspectives on national economic conditions and issues related to monetary policy, industries, and markets. The publication launched in 2013 as The Macro Bulletin and became the Economic Bulletin in 2019.

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251 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
How Will Drought and Groundwater Depletion Affect Irrigated Farmland Values in the Tenth District? Irrigated farmland commands a premium relative to non-irrigated farmland due to capitalized infrastructure, access rights to groundwater, and superior yield potential. In the Tenth Federal Reserve District, this premium has been increasing over time and rising faster during droughts. Whether this premium will subsist in the long term, however, depends on existing groundwater reserves, local rates of aquifer replenishment, and continued efficiency gains in water use. Natural Resources and Environment Regional Economic Bulletin Agriculture	Ayesha Cooray Expandable Row	June 24, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
“Future of Banking: Powering Progress, Protecting Trust” Conference Explores Implications of Technological Change On May 14, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s “Future of Banking: Powering Progress, Protecting Trust” conference brought together more than 100 community bankers to discuss how technology is changing the banking industry. Panelists covered topics ranging from digital assets, fraud, and artificial intelligence (AI) to the future of the community banking industry. AI Payments Events Community Banking Banking and Finance Economic Bulletin	Samantha Ahal Nicholas Baker Stefan A. Jacewitz W. Blake Marsh Stephanie Ziadeh Expandable Row	June 22, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Resilience, Not Crisis, in the U.S. Agricultural Economy Over the past few years, economic conditions in some segments of U.S. agriculture have deteriorated, raising questions about the longer-term trajectory of the sector and the viability of many farms throughout the country. However, the severity of current public narratives surrounding U.S. agriculture diverges from the signals apparent in underlying data. Regional Economic Bulletin Agriculture	Nate Kauffman Ty Kreitman Expandable Row	May 20, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Deterioration in Farm Financial Conditions Remains Gradual Despite continued weakness in the crop sector, farm financial conditions have tightened only gradually, and stress remains limited. Loan delinquency rates remain low, average farmland values have been stable, and leverage in the sector remains modest. Direct government payments have limited losses for crop operations and provided modest relief, while strong cattle prices have boosted incomes in many areas. Agricultural Finance Research Regional Economic Bulletin Agriculture	Ty Kreitman Expandable Row	May 13, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Can Healthcare Labor Supply Keep Up with Aging-Driven Demand? Demand for healthcare is growing rapidly as the U.S. population ages, with employment in caregiving occupations expanding especially quickly. Women and immigrants have been the primary workers filling these jobs so far. With female labor force participation now at all-time highs and immigration flows expected to remain constrained, healthcare labor supply could struggle to meet demand from an aging population going forward. Labor and Demographics Economic Bulletin	Elior Cohen Expandable Row	May 1, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
How Banks’ Technology Spending Affects Performance Over the past two decades, banks have substantially increased their investment in information technology (IT) and data analytics. We estimate the dynamic relationship between IT spending and bank outcomes related to performance. We find that increased IT spending is associated with higher bank profits, increased income from deposit accounts, and lower loan default rates. Banking and Finance Economic Bulletin	Jordan Pandolfo Thomas Désiré Expandable Row	March 6, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
A Break in the Link Between Gasoline Prices and Inflation Expectations Gasoline prices and consumers’ inflation expectations often move in similar directions. Indeed, the correlation between the two increased noticeably over the last several decades. In 2025, however, that relationship changed dramatically: Gasoline prices declined, while inflation expectations increased with the prospects of higher prices coming from tariffs. If the historical relationship had persisted, inflation expectations might have been 1.5 percentage points lower throughout 2025. Natural Resources and Environment Economic Bulletin Inflation	Jason P. Brown Expandable Row	February 20, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Mass Layoffs Can Disproportionately Disrupt Small Communities The recent closure of a meatpacking plant in Lexington, Nebraska, raises questions about how mass layoffs affect nearby communities as well as the broader regional economy. After sizeable layoffs in similar communities, the local labor force shrank, employment declined, and out-migration increased. Overall, smaller communities have faced large, negative consequences from mass layoff events. Labor and Demographics Regional Economic Bulletin	John McCoy Expandable Row	February 18, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
A New U.S. Productivity Chapter? What Industry Data Say About AI Since late 2022, U.S. labor productivity has risen notably above its pre-pandemic trend. Industry data suggest the pickup is not yet broad-based: A small set of industries accounts for most gains. While higher AI adoption is associated with faster productivity growth across industries, it explains little of the shift in aggregate contributions, suggesting AI adoption is still spreading. Labor and Demographics AI Macroeconomics Data and Trends Economic Bulletin	Nida Çakır Melek Sydney Miller Expandable Row	February 11, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Inflation Persistence as an Outcome of Monetary Policy Delayed or tepid monetary policy responses can prolong the inflationary effect of temporary economic shocks. When financial markets expect that policymakers are hesitant to raise interest rates in response to an inflationary shock, the shock may have a longer-lasting effect. Research shows that perceptions of a weak policy response can explain the persistent rise and slow decline in inflation during 2021–22, suggesting policymakers may need to consider inflation persistence as an outcome of monetary policy. Monetary Policy Economic Bulletin Inflation	Taeyoung Doh Stephen D. Vasiljevic Expandable Row	February 6, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row