Author: D. Brian Blank, Associate Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

It’s a mantra among business executives that slashing their workforce will streamline operations and increase productivity – a strategic boost to the bottom line. And recent downsizing announcements have been no different, especially at tech companies citing massive disruptions caused by artificial intelligence. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for example, stated in May 2026 that “this […]

Americans don’t need a press release to know that inflation is rising. Gasoline is above $4 per gallon amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the release of key price data on May 28, 2026, underscores why policymakers are worried these pressures could spread into the […]

After months of speculation, President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh on Jan. 30, 2026, to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve. If confirmed by Congress, Warsh will inherit leadership of the U.S. central bank at a delicate time. For months, current Fed Chair Jerome Powell has come under attack from the Trump administration […]

The U.S. economy heads into 2026 in an unusual place: Inflation is down from its peak in mid-2022, growth has held up better than many expected, and yet American households say that things still feel shaky. Uncertainty is the watchword, especially with a major Supreme Court ruling on tariffs on the horizon. To find out […]

When business researchers analyze data, they often rely on assumptions to help make sense of what they find. But like anyone else, they can run into a whole lot of trouble if those assumptions turn out to be wrong – which may happen more often than they realize. That’s what we found in a recent […]

Strong enforcement of insider trading laws doesn’t just protect investors – it encourages businesses to be more innovative, according to our new peer-reviewed research. In fact, we found that after a company is hit with an insider-trading indictment, it generally produces more patents – which in turn are cited more by other patents – than […]

Brian Blank is a finance scholar and Fed watcher who researches how companies navigate downturns and make financial decisions, as well as how markets process information. Brandy Hadley is a finance professor who leads a student-managed investment fund and studies corporate decision-making and incentives. Together, they’re also the resident economic oracles at The Conversation U.S., […]