Justin Lahart
Wall Street Journal
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Justin:
How Can Big Cities Get Us to Live There (Again)?
The rise of hybrid work has impacted the economies of America’s downtowns. But in the long term, these less-crowded cities could lead to a new urban renaissance. → Read More
Consumers Can Just Say ‘No’ to High Gas Prices
Commuters today have far more options to curb fuel usage than they did decades ago. They hold the key to alleviating the world’s fuel-shortage problem. → Read More
Inflation May Have Peaked, but the Fed Won’t Back Off
Gasoline prices have slipped, while cooling in other prices suggest lower inflation readings in the months ahead. → Read More
The Fed Can’t Print More Workers
By aggressively raising rates to curb inflation, the Federal Reserve risks taking a hot labor market affected today by Covid-19 and cooling parts of it off excessively. → Read More
Our Recession Forecasting Model Is Broken
There might be a recession soon, but trying to predict it using our pre-Covid-19 toolbox is silly. → Read More
The Fed Is Still Feeling the Inflation Heat
Milder inflation probably isn’t enough to stem interest-rate pressure. → Read More
Inflation Expectations Matter Less Than Actual Inflation
Stocks rally after a softer-than-expected reading on inflation expectations, but the Federal Reserve will be eyeing actual prices. → Read More
America’s Cash Hoard Could Cushion a Downturn
For all the ominous signs on where the economy is heading, many Americans have something that they usually lack heading into a recession: A lot of cash. → Read More
America Faces a Housing Bust
All the ingredients seemed to be in place at the start of 2022 for a continued housing boom, but now the market has priced itself for a sharp reversal. → Read More
The Fed Pushes the Envelope
Raising rates sharply could help the Federal Reserve get in front of inflation, but it raises the risk of overcooling the economy. → Read More
Retailers Are Getting Tanked
Some of the retail winners from the height of the pandemic—sellers of home furnishings, electronics and appliances, especially—now are having a sales setback, and the high price of gasoline is making things worse. → Read More
Inflation May Soon Ease, but Not Enough
Excess inventories at retailers might soon take a bite out of inflation, but it remains far too high for the Federal Reserve to ease off tightening. → Read More
Fewer Imports, Better Growth
With Americans shifting spending away from goods, fewer imports will be hitting U.S. docks. The U.S. economy could end up growing more quickly as a result. → Read More
Jobs Aren’t Slowing Enough Yet to Slow Down the Fed
Friday’s employment report showed slower growth, but not nearly enough to stave off interest rate increases this summer. → Read More
Stores Are Stocked Like We’re All Still Working From Home
With offices reopening and restaurants filling up again, the economy is struggling to adjust anew. → Read More
As Long as Paychecks Keep Coming, Spending Can Hold up
Americans might be in a funk, but unless they start getting concerned about the job market, don’t worry too much about them cutting back on their spending. → Read More
Companies Might Be Getting Weak in the Knees on Capital Spending
Even if the current business environment is giving them a reason to keep expanding capital spending, a troubled stock market could make some companies reluctant to step up investment. → Read More
Retailers Are Getting Pinched More Than Consumers
Americans have the wherewithal to keep spending, but they will be doing less of it at stores. → Read More
Housing Boom Is on Borrowed Time
Hot housing sales cooled a bit after mortgage rates rose, but the number of homes on the market remains relatively low and prices are generally holding up. It could be just a matter of time. → Read More
U.S. Consumers Are Almost Too Healthy
Retail sales figures were upbeat, but their reliance on goods versus services might be masking a level of spending that is stronger than what makes the Fed comfortable. → Read More