Talking Points

"I believe that our interventions are helping to address the difficulties we face and to eventually move the United States back to financial stability and economic recovery." —Chicago Fed President Charles Evans in a March 24 speech.

The Economy

CFMMI
–2.4% in March.

CFNAI
–2.96 in March.

Farmland Values
+5% in 4Q '08 over 4Q '07.

'Beige Book'
Midwest Economic Activity Contracted Further in March. offsite link

Michigan Retail Index
+3.0 for sales outlook
–1.4 for sales performance offsite link

Latest News

May 10, 2009

Federal Reserve Chairman to Speak at Conference
Ben S. Bernanke will speak via satellite to attendees of the 45th annual Conference on Bank Structure and Competition.

Approaches to Helping Auto Industry Communities offsite link

Economist William Testa recaps conference that explored issues related to revitalization of areas impacted by auto industry downturn.

Bank Publishes 2008 Financial Statements offsite link

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's 2008 audited financial statements and footnotes are now available.

International Look at Financial Education offsite link

Webcast features experts discussing global best practices.

Video Illustrates Importance of Bank Accounts offsite link

"Lessons from Hurricane Katrina" explains value of having a bank account.

Trends in Consumer Sentiment and Spending
Chicago Fed Letter analyzes consumer sentiment and spending data to uncover differences across income and education levels.

Explaining Trends in Wages, Work and Occupations
Chicago Fed Letter explores why inequality of labor market earnings in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent decades. (PDF,107KB)

Why Do Firms Use Temporary Workers?
In Chicago Fed Letter, Yukako Ono explores firms' motivations for using temporary employment. (PDF,151KB)

Upcoming Events

Bank Structure Conference
May 6-8, 2009

Assessing the State and Local Sector–Where Will the Money Come from?
May 12, 2009

Payments Conference
May 14-15, 2009

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