Are we living in a K-shaped economy?

Make Me Smart

In the wake of the COVID-19 recession, many economists were describing the United States’ economic recovery as K-shaped. Basically, high-income Americans bounced back quicker than those at the lower end of the income scale. So, did we ever ditch that K shape? The person who coined the phrase “K-shaped recovery” back then, says no. On the show today, Peter Atwater, president of Financial Insyghts and adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary, explains why he believes economic inequality has grown since the pandemic recovery, why considerable wage gains for low-wage workers tell only part of the story and the risks of letting a K-shaped economy run wild.

Then, we’ll get into how the fragility of global shipping supply chains could be playing into Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates. And, happy wedding anniversary, Susanna!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “The ‘K’ Is Not OK” from LinkedIn
• “Inflation Is Bringing Back the K-Shaped Economy” from Bloomberg
• “Behind America’s divided economy: Booming luxury travel and a jump in ‘relief’ loans” from CNBC
• “A tight labor market and state minimum wage increases boosted low-end wage growth between 2019 and 2023” from the Economic Policy Institute
• “U.S. Wealth Inequality: Gaps Remain Despite Widespread Wealth Gains” from the St. Louis Federal Reserve
• “First publicly funded religious charter school in US ruled unconstitutional” from The Hill
• “Fed’s Bowman Warns of Upside Risks to Inflation, Not Time to Cut” from Bloomberg
• “Supply Chain Under Strain as Houthis Intensify Red Sea Strikes” from The New York Times
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