Stephanomics

The Bank of Japan's new rules on negative interest rates went into effect this week, with a quarter of the global economy now run by central banks that have deployed this unorthodox tool to stimulate growth. With stock markets in turmoil and recession fears running high, Federal Reserve officials are being asked if they'll consider going negative should economic conditions deteriorate. Karen Shaw Petrou, co-founder of Federal Financial Analytics, joins the hosts to explain exactly what negative interest-rate policies mean and what dangers -- and benefits -- may come with such an extraordinary step.

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If there's one place in the world that's close to cracking the secret on gender equality, it's Norway. But even this Scandinavian utopia has some way to go. Bloomberg Oslo correspondent Saleha Mohsin joins Tori and Aki this week to talk about Norway's successes and failures, weaving in her own experiences as a mother, a wife and a young woman with a career.

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Mosquitoes don't have very many redeeming qualities. They drink our blood, they make us itch and they carry illnesses like Zika, a virus that's exploding across Latin America. They can also do some serious economic damage. From health care expenses to productivity losses -- even harm done to quality of life -- the economic costs associated with mosquitoes add up. So shouldn't we get rid of them all? Tori discusses this and more with Don Shepard, a health economist at Brandeis University.

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The U.S. is awash in inexpensive oil. That's usually been a plus for the economy, because even though energy companies get squeezed, drivers get a break at the pump. Now, that relationship's gotten a bit hairier. Oil producers have slashed jobs and investment, yet consumers haven't picked up the slack you'd expect from more affordable gas. So here's the question: Is cheap oil now bad for the economy? Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Analytics, joins Benchmark co-hosts Tori and Dan to discuss.

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Who wants to be a millionaire? Most people we know, at least. But individuals' odds of accumulating that much wealth diverge wildly as race, age and education are factored in, according to an exclusive dataset created by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for Bloomberg News. Researchers William Emmons and Bryan Noeth join Aki and Tori to discuss the way these three traits shape financial success, and how the deck is clearly stacked against some Americans.

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Financial markets around the world have been rocked as investors worry that a slowdown in China will spread to other nations as well. But how closely is the stock market actually linked to what's happening in the economy? Bloomberg stocks reporter Oliver Renick joins Tori and Aki to discuss whether the turbulence is a warning about growth prospects, or if stock-market jitters will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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(Bloomberg) -- Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions. Every year, millions fail, often wasting money and working against their best interest in the process. That doesn't sound very rational. Katy Milkman, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, joins Aki and Tori to walk through seven proven strategies to stay on target by harnessing economics research aimed at saving us from ourselves.

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(Bloomberg) -- As everyone else makes predictions for 2016, we zoom ahead to 2024. Which jobs will be on the rise, and which jobs will disappear? Heidi Shierholz, chief economist at the U.S. Labor Department, joins the hosts to navigate the government's projections for this brave new world, and offers tips for all of us to stay employable.

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(Bloomberg) -- This year has been full of cheaters. From bad boy pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli to the Patriots' Tom Brady to Volkswagen, allegations and incidents of cheating have been front-page news fodder. But is there sometimes an economic case to be made for such duplicitous dealings? Robert Stonebraker, a professor at Winthrop University, joins Benchmark podcast hosts Aki Ito and Tori Stilwell to discuss how the decision to cheat is a rational one, and why it's becoming an easier one to make thanks to globalization.

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(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve finally raised its main interest rate, after years of keeping it near zero to help pull the U.S. out of a severe recession. What does that mean for Americans' everyday lives? Michelle Meyer, deputy head of U.S. economics at Bank of America, joins the hosts to break down why this week's event was so significant for the economy, and how consumers, businesses and the government could all be affected by the central bank's move.

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