(Printable PDF) Why Are Economists So Glum? Economists are often called dismal scientists, as they are more likely to see the proverbial glass as half empty than half full. That label is vividly on display now, as the forecast of a recession within the economic community is more pronounced than
(Printable PDF) From One Challenge to Another While the challenges that rocked the financial markets in March have been defused, their aftereffects are rippling through the economy. We’ll have a better sense of how much credit conditions have tightened on May 8th when the Federal Reserve releases its Senior Loan
(Printable PDF) The Fed’s Direct & Indirect Effects It is a time-honored adage that monetary policy affects the economy with long and variable lags. Well, that time is up, if the tumult caused by the failure of a few regional banks is any indication. It’s important to remember that central
(Printable PDF) The Economy’s Roller Coaster Ride Continues Renewed economic vigor is upending expectations. Last year ended with a thud, with consumers retrenching, inflation receding, and financial markets slumping. Recession fears became more pronounced as did expectations the Federal Reserve would soon pause its aggressive rate-hiking campaign to prevent a
(Printable PDF) Slowing Inflation Offers Hope for 2023 Murphy’s Law played out in dramatic fashion last year, as virtually anything that could go wrong seemingly did. The pandemic morphed into a new variant; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ignited a spike in energy, food and other commodity prices that reinforced the
(Printable PDF) Brookline Bank’s Allan Martorana, SVP and Mortgage Banking Team Leader, contributed the following article to the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC) 2023-2024 Homeownership Resource Guide. Many thanks to the ABCDC for permission to share the article. First-time homebuyers, your window of opportunity may have just opened.
(Printable PDF) Recession Ahead: Will It Be Mild Or Severe? It was a rough 2022, but the U.S. economy survived the myriad headwinds thrown at it, including raging inflation, geopolitical stress, skyrocketing interest rates, declining stock prices, a recurring COVID-19 wave, and the most aggressive pivot towards monetary tightening in
In Person with Jerry Algere Gerald “Jerry” Algere joined Brookline Bank in September as Institutional Banking Team Leader in the Bank’s Commercial (C&I) Banking Group. Banker & Tradesman recently spotlighted Jerry’s 30 years of building a $2 billion not-for-profit commercial portfolio. Read the article: (Printable PDF)
(Printable PDF) This Too Won’t Last Has the inflation worm turned? It’s still early, but the signs are encouraging as an expanding list of price measures are pointing to slower increases. Whether this favorable trend continues is an open question. Many factors underpinned the astonishing inflation cycle of the past
(Printable PDF) Slamming On the Brakes: Is a Crash Ahead? Alarms warning of a recession ring louder with each rate hike by the Federal Reserve. So far this year, there’s been plenty – five since March and still counting. Following the last three jumbo-sized 0.75 percentage point increases, the Fed’s
Chief Credit Officer, Robert Rose Offers Timely Economic Outlook to Associated Industries of Massachusetts Members Recently, our own Bob Rose was asked by AIM to discuss the likelihood of an economic recession, its potential impact, and how businesses can take stock of their finances to help ride out potential bumps
(Printable PDF) Recession Watch Enough is enough! The economy has demonstrated an astonishing amount of resiliency against the headwinds thrown at it over the past two years – Covid-19, both short and long, surging energy prices, spiraling interest rates, supply shortages, and, not least, stubbornly high inflation. Through it all,
(Printable PDF) Confusing Times As summer draws to a close, the debate over whether the economy is overheated or rapidly cooling remains unanswered. According to the broadest measure of activity conditions look downright recessionary, as GDP contracted for the second consecutive quarter in the April-June period, satisfying the common yardstick
(Printable PDF) Don’t Rule Out A Soft Landing In real estate, they say location is everything. In economics, timing is paramount. With prices rising at a pace not seen since the early 1980s, the Federal Reserve admittedly waited too long to start putting on the brakes, believing that the initial
(Printable PDF) For The Fed, Failure To Curb Inflation Is Not An Option Last year the main debate among economists was whether the inflation upsurge that suddenly gripped the nation was transitory or lasting. Most, including policymakers at the Federal Reserve, blamed transient forces related to the pandemic, which they
(Printable PDF) Fading But Still Sturdy Profits Should Sustain Growth Although the coronavirus recession ended two years ago and the U.S. economy embarked on a remarkably strong recovery, many commentators are sounding alarms that a recession is just around the corner. While we are not in that camp – yet
(Printable PDF) When Will Inflation Peak? It’s been a rough ride for investors as red ink has spilled profusely so far this year. The losses have been particularly acute in the bond market, which, ironically is usually the refuge for investors seeking safety and stability when conditions get dicey. Not
(Printable PDF) Here Come The Rate Hikes The Russian invasion of Ukraine is primarily a human tragedy, but the global economic costs can’t be ignored – and they are piling up. It’s unclear how long the war will go on; the longer it persists, the greater the toll on world
Leslie Joannides-Burgos and Boston Age Strong Commission’s Age Friendly Director Andrea Burns discuss Brookline Bank’s Age Friendly Training and Elder Financial Fraud in an interview hosted by Seven Letter’s Ann Murphy. OA On Air · EXTRA: Brookline Bank’s Executive Vice President Leslie Joannides-Burgos; AFB Director Andrea Burns
(Printable PDF) Tumultuous Start To The Year With barely two months in the books, it is hard to remember another year that opened with as much drama as 2022. The swirl of events included the surge and rapid descent of the Omicron variant, spiraling inflation, heart-throbbing geopolitical tensions with Russia,
As we enter the third year of the pandemic, Brookline Bank President and CEO Darryl Fess shares his thoughts on the 2022 economy with Ann Murphy of Seven Letter/O’Neill and Associates. He touches upon issues including how the pandemic has affected the economy, inflation, supply-chains, labor shortages, commercial real estate,
(Printable PDF) Economy Faces a Winter Chill A winter economic soft patch has begun, as spiking Omicron cases exacerbate supply chain and labor market stress and fuel greater consumer and business caution. While the virus continues to be in the driver’s seat of the recovery, the early 2022 economic cool
Printable PDF Fear & Inflation Cast a Shadow Over 2022 It may not feel like it given the resurgence in Covid health concerns, elevated inflation, and heightened financial market volatility, but the U.S. economy is doing quite well heading into the new year. Unemployment is falling rapidly, people are shopping
Printable PDF A Christmas Wish: More Supply Please The clouds over the U.S. economy are dissipating as one of two key constraints on activity is fading. Thanks to an improving health situation amid ramped-up vaccination efforts, people are traveling again, going to concerts, and engaging in a host of social
