The decline in gas is pretty much unrelated to federal policy and much more in the realm of luck. Changes in oil and gas prices are almost always the result of big global trends. Decisions made by Russia, decisions made by Saudi Arabia, the speed of growth in other big economies like China. You can get some domestic policies. But mostly this is sort of this big external force acting on the economy.
Rapid inflation has been a problem in the United States for more than two years, but the tide appears to be turning. Annual inflation is now less than half of what it was last summer.
Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The Times, discusses whether the decline is a result of careful policymaking, or more of a lucky accident.
Guest: Jeanna Smialek, a Federal Reserve correspondent for The New York Times.
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