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Brian Blank

@dbblank.bsky.social

235 followers 339 following 14 posts

Acts 4:13 Disciple, Husband, Girl Dad x 3, Son, Brother, Assoc Prof Finance @ Mississippi State in Empirical Corporate via Alabama, Roll Tide! & Tennessee PhD, @arsenalfc.bsky.social Fan, Scholarship: scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&…

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Brian Blank @dbblank.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Everyone is anxiously watching Iran & wondering when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen: today, we got lots of data, including the Fed's primary inflation reading, which is headed to 4% & rising like 2021! We wrote about prices & the economy: @us.theconversation.com theconversation.com/its-not-just...

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Brian Blank @dbblank.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

I enjoyed talking with Starkville Rotary about cryptocurrency myths, FinTech evolution, blockchain potential, & CBDCs. Still, the most important point came at the end: What should most investors do? Short answer: Not much! I was also interviewed about digital currencies: www.wcbi.com/professor-gi...

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Brian Blank @dbblank.bsky.social · 12/01/2024

What is with all of this inflation preoccupation? Everyone is pessimistic😓about the economy & tired🥱of prices almost 20%📈above pre-pandemic, so Brandy Hadley of Appalachian State & I wrote @theconversationus.bsky.social "When can we stop worrying about inflation?" theconversation.com/when-can-we-...

When can we stop worrying about rising prices? The latest inflation report offers no easy answers Tired of thinking about inflation’s impact on your wallet? You’re not alone. But like it or not, higher prices continue to be an economic and – with the presidential race – a political issue as we enter the early months of 2024.

The Conversation asked two financial economists, D. Brian Blank at Mississippi State University and Appalachian State University’s Brandy Hadley, what they make of the inflation report that dropped on Jan. 11, 2024, and whether there might be a time before too long when we can all stop worrying about increasing costs.

Was inflation higher or lower in December 2023?
Both, unfortunately.

Economists have many ways of measuring how prices change over time. Two key measures are overall, or “headline,” inflation, which tracks the prices for a basket of goods and services, and “core” inflation, which tracks many of the same items but excludes those with unusually jumpy

What matters to people: Prices or inflation?
Even though inflation is slowing, costs are 18% higher than four years ago and aren’t falling, which makes many people less optimistic about the economy than before the pandemic.

Some Wall Street forecasters and economists struggle to understand people’s concerns when labor markets are strong and the stock market is rising. Still, consumer prices are near all-time highs, which is neither exciting for most people nor surprising to economists given that prices typically rise over time.

Despite high expenses, people still have a degree of disposable income. The cost to eat out continues to increase three times as fast as the cost to eat at home, which is both one of the largest differences on record and evidence that people still have income to spend eating out.

That shows the mismatch between consumer behavior and “vibes”: Americans have the money to travel and go to restaurants, but still complain about airfare and menu prices.

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Brian Blank @dbblank.bsky.social · 26/12/2023

Let's talk vibes & 2024: Tell people for 2 years a recession is imminent, then don't be shocked they’re gloomy. If you’re wrong, it shouldn’t be surprising when sentiment & data diverge – especially w/ politicians blaming each other @theconversationus.bsky.social: theconversation.com/economic-loo...

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