Andrew Abel - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

New Fed Head Bernanke: Inflation Is Key

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 14:54:32 EST

Ben S. Bernanke is a superb choice to replace Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve, but he will have to demonstrate to financial markets that he is as much an anti-inflation hawk as his predecessor, according to Wharton finance professors and private-sector economists. These observers also say that Bernanke will speak more plainly in explaining Fed actions than Greenspan, whose cryptic, oracular comments became his trademark. Finally, Bernanke is likely to establish and publicly disclose the Fed's specific target, or target range, for the inflation rate -- a policy that Greenspan eschewed but one that is becoming more common among central bankers worldwide.

Is Social Security in Trouble? Depends on Whom You Ask

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 13:49:48 EST

President Bush has launched his promised campaign to revamp Social Security, arguing that future funding shortfalls could be made up by allowing workers to put part of their contributions into investments under their own control. Opponents such as AARP, the organization for retired people, say his plan would destroy the 65-year old safety net, slashing benefits received by older Americans. Differences on the issue are so wide that the two sides cannot even agree on the threshold question: Is the Social Security system really in financial trouble?

Who Cares About the Deficit, and Why?

Wed, 25 Feb 2004 14:34:23 EST

The numbers seem staggering: The U.S. federal budget deficit is projected to reach a record $521 billion this year, equaling about one-fourteenth of the federal debt accumulated over the nation’s history. Democrats accuse Bush and the Republican Congress of squandering the surplus achieved in the Clinton years and forcing future generations to pay for today’s spending excesses and tax cuts. But the White House and its supporters insist the deficit, while a record in dollar terms, is not so bad given the economy’s size. Is the deficit a ticking time bomb or not?

What�s in Store for the Capital Markets and the Economy?

Wed, 26 Sep 2001 00:00:00 EST

In the two weeks since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, stocks have been see-sawing on Wall Street, alternately plunging and rebounding day after day. Does that mean that stocks have hit the bottom? Or could they fall further? Wharton professors and industry experts say that economic uncertainty will continue even as some investors are starting to beef up their stock portfolios.

Ten Years From Now, Will Retiring Baby Boomers Cause a Stock Market Meltdown?

Wed, 06 Jun 2001 00:00:00 EST

In the 1980s and 1990s baby boomers helped drive the greatest bull market in U.S. history. When these boomers retire, will they cash in their holdings and leave the market in ruins? Wharton finance professor Andrew Abel analyzes the effect of the baby boom generation, and other factors, on future stock prices.