With new leadership in the House and a narrowly divided Senate, what are the key priorities for the 118th Congress? How much legislation should we expect from a divided government? What could be the economic impact from the new power dynamics in Washington? [NFM - 20130AO.67]

The market for workers remains very tight and is supporting economic growth - while concerns for a potential recession continue to build. Wages for employees are rising, which is great news for households, but makes it more challenging for the Fed to lower inflation. This week the Fed raised rates again for the eighth time in a row. How much impact are these rate hikes having on the labor market - and what's our outlook for future rate hikes? [NFM - 20130AO.66]

What does the GDP report for Q4 2022 tell us about the state of our economy as the year came to an end? What impact has the Fed's rate hikes had on GDP? How does this report impact our outlook of the economy and financial markets, and the potential for a recession? [NFM - 20130AO.65]

High prices and concerns about a recession are weighing on the minds of many consumers. How has this impacted consumer spending? What is our outlook for consumer activity? [NFM - 20130AO.64]

Following a string of weaker CPI prints, inflation appears to have crested in the second half of 2022. Easing commodity prices and healing supply chains have cooled prices, even with services costs still accelerating. But inflation remains very high heading into 2023, likely driving further rate hikes by the Fed in coming months. Nationwide economists Kathy Bostjancic and Ben Ayers provide their reactions to the latest CPI report for December 2022.

Nationwide Market Insights (NMI)for Q1 2023 is now available, featuring commentary and insight into the economy and financial markets. NMI's author, Nationwide’s Deputy Chief Economist Bryan Jordan, highlights key pages and provides additional perspective. To view or download the quarterly report while you listen to this podcast, visit nationwidefinancial.com/economics. [NFM 20130AO.62]

As we close out the year, it's time to look forward and provide our economic outlook for 2023. What could inflation look like next year? How much higher could the Fed raise rates? And how close are we to a recession? [NFM-20130AO.61]

In their final meeting of the year, the FOMC remains focused on controlling inflation and announced yet another rate increase. But this time, the rate increase was only half a point. What does this tell us about the state of inflation and the economy? Are the rate increases starting to have the impact that the Fed was hoping for? Will we see rates continue to increase next year, and if so - how much higher? [NFM-20130AO.60]

November’s jobs report showed surprisingly strong hiring and faster growth in average hourly earnings — suggesting little easing of labor market conditions. What does this tell us about the overall economy? How could this affect the Fed's decision to continue with their aggressive rate hikes? Nationwide's economists Bryan Jordan and Ben Ayers discuss the recent jobs report and what it tells us about the direction of our economy. [NFM-20130AO.59]

This year's economic environment has challenged many businesses — with rising costs, a tight labor market, and worries of a pending recession. Nationwide’s Senior Economist, Ben Ayers, shares recent trends for the business sector and its impact the broader economy. [NFM-20130AO.58]