Believe it or not, we're basically halfway through 2021, which means it's time for a little "State of the Economy" with our favorite numbers cruncher and overall badass, Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unanimously voted to keep short-term interest rates unchanged and the pace of asset purchases at $120 billion per month. The statement following the June meeting was much more upbeat about the progress of vaccinations and the economy.

The bottom line is that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell tried to reassure the public and financial markets that the Fed will not allow inflation to get out of control. The Fed’s own forecast, or “dot plot” as it is called, showed a substantial move up in the timing of rate hikes. The problem for financial markets is that inflation and rate hikes are always unwelcome.

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State of the Economy Part Two