Economics | Penn Today

Trump attacks the Fed as stocks fall and midterms loom

The Wharton School’s Peter Conti-Brown warned that the president’s critiques could erode public confidence in the Federal Reserve. Noting the parallel impact on the F.B.I., Conti-Brown wondered “how long will people stay if the job itself becomes terrible, and there are protesters everywhere you go?”

The $210 billion risk in your 401(k)

About 10 percent of people who take out 401(k) loans fail to repay their accounts, according to research by Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School.

Wharton receives $50 million gift from Marc J. Rowan and Carolyn Rowan

The largest single gift the school has ever received, it will support the Penn Wharton Budget Model, and help recruit distinguished professors and appoint Rowan Fellows for five-year terms.

Exploring the human propensity to cooperate

Working with a nomadic group in Tanzania, one of the last remaining nomadic hunter-gatherer populations, Penn psychologists show that cooperation is flexible, not fixed.

The auto bailout 10 years later: Was it the right call?

Wharton's John Paul MacDuffie discusses the GM and Chrysler $80 billion bailouts in 2009, and whether the consequences of the free market or the government should have determined the future of a failing company with 3 million of jobs at risk.

After the crisis, a new generation puts its trust in tech over traditional banks

Nick Roussanov of the Wharton School discussed the success of fintech start-ups in the wake of the Great Recession. “To the extent banks want to compete for market share, they’re going for online banking and shrinking brick-and-mortar,” said Roussanov. “People are just not going to the bank.”

How the Great Recession changed American workers

Wharton experts argue that the fallout from the Great Recession of 2008 persists today. Fewer home owners, increasing retirement age, and lingering debt, plus a debate about the true cause of the financial meltdown continues one decade later.

For hedge fund stars, being right in 2008 proved to be a curse

PIK Professor Philip Tetlock spoke about the inevitable decline of hedge-fund profits, even under the supervision of brilliant forecasters. “It’s harder for hedge funds to sustain high performance in the long term, especially when you have a lot of smart people second-guessing each other,” he said.

How the U.S. rental market is increasing inequality

Wharton's Benjamin Keys, Zillow's Aaron Terrazas and the Brookings Institution's Jenny Schuetz explain how an increase in the number of luxury rentals on the market means declining high-end rents, while affordable rent for the working class continues to be a struggle.

How reverse mortgages can hurt, rather than help, aging Philly homeowners

The School of Social Policy & Practice’s Amy Castro Baker shared her expertise on the hazards of reverse mortgages. “It can be a safe option for people to stay in their homes,” said Castro Baker. “But it’s also layered with risk, often used as a predatory product.”

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