Maybe you've noticed — something weird is going on in the economy. The vibes are off. Inflation is higher than it's been in decades, and consumer sentiment earlier this year was the lowest it's been in a decade. Meanwhile, unemployment is near record lows, people are traveling a ton, restaurants are packed, business spending is up, retail spending is up. So why does it feel like the economy is in such a strange place?
We wanted to get to the bottom of this vibey mystery. So we reached out to an expert on "vibes": professional vibraphonist Nikara Warren. She and her band NIKARA presents Black Wall Street joined us in-studio for a vibes session about the 'vibecession.' And we discussed with economists why vibes are actually important when it comes to fixing economic issues and may influence how the Federal Reserve responds in the coming months.
Further links:
- Read Kyla Scanlon's original 'vibecession' piece
- Browse Jennifer La'O's macroeconomics research
- Listen to NIKARA presents Black Wall Street
- And follow the musicians on today's episode: Nikara Warren (Vibes), Craig Hill (Tenor), Jonathan Michel (Bass), and Axel Tosca (Keys)
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We didn't coin "vibecession," but if you want to watch us coin other terms like "skimpflation" in real time, follow our Newsletter!
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