At the New York Fed, our mission is to make the U.S. economy stronger and the financial system more stable for all segments of society. We do this by executing monetary policy, providing financial services, supervising banks and conducting research and providing expertise on issues that impact the nation and communities we serve.
Low- and moderate-income people face intertwined economic challenges. A family unable to replace drafty windows may pay a higher heating bill each month, making paying other bills more difficult. Small business owners who lack access to loans may be unable to hire new workers, making local jobs harder to find.
In October, New York Fed President John Williams traveled to Buffalo to hear from local stakeholders about economic conditions in western New York as the region emerges from the pandemic. During the two-day visit, he met with government officials, business leaders, higher education representatives, and nonprofit and community leaders. Here are key themes that emerged in these meetings and discussions.
In 2021, about one of every 10 households was food insecure at some point, worrying that their food would run out before there was money to buy more. The costs of widespread food insecurity are felt everywhere, since hunger reduces productivity and costs the healthcare system billions of dollars each year.
Misconduct and poor organizational cultures in the financial industry have far-reaching and material consequences for the American people and economy. To address and help mitigate risk from misconduct and organizational culture, the New York Fed established the Governance and Culture Reform initiative, which examines how formal organizational structures and underlying drivers of individual and group behaviors impact outcomes at financial firms. This work began in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, a period marked by widespread misconduct and a corresponding increase in litigation and enforcement activity in the financial industry, with scandals continuing to this day.
The New York Fed held the latest installment of its long-standing webinar series that examines culture and conduct in financial services on October 4. “Culture and the New Workplace” explored how work culture has been influenced by changing circumstances in the post-pandemic world, by technology, and by the expectations of employees and employers.
On Monday, November 28, 2022, New York Fed President John Williams spoke about inflation, monetary policy, and the economic outlook at a virtual event hosted by the Economic Club of New York.
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, New York Fed President John Williams discussed the importance of well-anchored inflation expectations at a conference on global risk, uncertainty, and volatility organized by the Swiss National Bank, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Bank for International Settlements.
In July, New York Fed President John Williams traveled to western Puerto Rico to meet with community development and small business leaders, higher education officials, and aerospace industry representatives. The visit to west coast capped off a two-day trip to the island, part of a broader effort by the New York Fed to gain a deeper understanding of regional economic conditions in the Federal Reserve’s Second District. In the second part of this two-part series, we discuss what we learned on our visit.
In July, New York Fed President John Williams traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with local nonprofit and community leaders, government officials, and business and higher education representatives, with the aim of understanding economic conditions as the island emerges from the pandemic and continues on the road to recovery from major hurricanes. In this two-part series, we will share what we learned on our visit. Today’s post centers on takeaways from engagements in the San Juan metropolitan area, and tomorrow’s post will focus on the island’s west coast.
On Friday, October 21, New York Fed President John Williams spoke about bridging the gap between the needs of employers and the job training available to potential workers, particularly in New York’s Columbia and Greene Counties.
