Dave Stockton

Dave Stockton Speaking Topics

• The Policy Challenges Ahead: Monetary, Fiscal and Regulatory Policies and their Interaction

  The recent financial crisis resulted in unprecedented policy responses from monetary and fiscal policymakers, and has led to widespread changes to the regulatory structure of the financial industry that are still in the process of unfolding. Those changes have left a legacy of historically low interest rates, still-tight credit conditions, massive federal budget deficits and burgeoning federal debt. How will these highly unusual and almost certainly unsustainable circumstances evolve over the next few years? Will the efforts to normalize monetary policy, reduce federal deficits and adjust the regulatory environment be mutually reinforcing and supportive of recovery, or will they be in some conflict with the potential to slow the process of adjustment and repair? How will the process of rebalancing monetary, fiscal and regulatory policies influence the economic environment in which businesses and households operate? Dave Stockton, during his 30 years in the Federal Reserve and his 11 years as its Chief Economist, observed and participated in the policymaking process in the United States. Using the perspectives that he gained from those experiences, he will lay out a variety of scenarios for the courses of monetary, fiscal and regulatory policies and their respective consequences for the course of financial and economic developments both here and abroad.

• Forecasting at the Fed: How the Great Recession Is Changing the Way the Central Bank Does Business

  As the U.S. economy slowly and painfully rebuilds after the longest contraction since the Great Depression, the vast majority of Americansfrom financial leaders to foreclosed homeownershave been asking what went wrong and how the vast majority of market watchers missed the signs of trouble to come. Was the conventional economic framework embodied in the models commonly employed by central banks and the private sector up to the task? What have we learned about how increasingly complex financial institutions and financial markets interact with each other and with businesses and households to shape global economic developments? In light of recent developments in Europe and Asia, was sufficient attention paid to how foreign economies have the potential to feed back into the performance of the U.S. economy? Were we probing the vulnerabilities posed by model uncertainty? Dave Stockton, who helmed the Federal Reserves Division of Research and Statistics from 2000 to 2011, addresses these complex questions and discusses recent structural changes within the Fedincluding the creation of a multidisciplinary committee tasked with studying large financial institutions and key marketsas well as how the Fed assesses risk and monitors foreign economies. A 30-year veteran of the Fed who is known for his penetrating analyses, impeccable judgment and winning sense of humor, Stockton illuminates the impact of the recession and its aftermath on the Feds internal operations and shares his forecast for future economic policymaking.

The U.S. and Global Economy: Where Do We Go From Here?

Through the financial crisis, former Federal Reserve Chief Economist and top advisor to the Board of Governors, Dave Stockton, has repeatedly been asked two questions about the economic headwinds that have plagued the world for the last few years: 1) What did we know? and 2) When did we know it? But Stockton, well known for understanding the inherent uncertainty of any forecast, believes the questions we should be asking are: How do we ensure a sound recovery? and How do we limit the potential for future international financial crises to destabilize the U.S. and global economy? These questions are at the core of his compelling presentations. Others pivotal issues he tackles include: Has the Great Recession left a lasting imprint on our behavior as consumers, employers and employees? What are the long-term consequences for individual and family income? When things seem most bleak, how do we restore confidence and take the time needed for effective repair and improvement? Drawing on his unparalleled experience and the analytic acumen that he gained during his 30 years at the Fed, Stockton explores the Feds forecasting and decision-making process, the global economic forces that led to the Great Recession and what we can do to reduce the probability of future financial disruptions and to contain their fallout should they occur.