Zachary Karabell

Karabell is an author, investor, and commentator. His latest book is Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power.

Recent Articles

Problem with the Fed's Inflation Target

As the U.S. economy sends confusing signals, it's not clear why the Federal Reserve is set on the arbitrary 2% inflation target.

By Zachary Karabell

The Contrarian Case for Pakistan's Upside

Despite the chaos it now faces, Zachary Karabell on Pakistan's economic and investment potential

By Zachary Karabell

The U.S. Government Keeps Breaking the Economic Golden Rule: Do No Harm

From the Federal Reserve raising interest rates to the debt ceiling, different parts of the U.S. government keep hurting the economy

By Zachary Karabell

Who Is Really to Blame for SVB and the Banking Crisis

There is one real culprit behind the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

By Zachary Karabell

There Is a Painless Way to Fix Inflation

The Federal Reserve's moves to keep raising interest rates is going to lead to disaster. There is a better way.

By Zachary Karabell

Inflation May Already Have Peaked. Overreacting Brings Its Own Risks

Whether you are an “average” American, a central banker, a CEO or a parking attendant, inflation is now the primary economic concern for most Americans. Polling bears that out: for the first time in decades,...

By Zachary Karabell

Billionaires Have Always Owned the Media. Musk Is No Great Threat

The explosive announcement that Elon Musk is buying Twitter and taking it private has generated a slew of commentary. While there have been some hosannas, the general tone has tended more toward the apocalyptic, and...

By Zachary Karabell

Why You Probably Don't Need to Worry About 1970s-Style Stagflation

The Seventies were famous for many things: wide-lapels, disco music, Watergate, the middle-class abandonment of cities for suburbs, and of course, stagflation, that toxic blend of soaring prices and stagnant economic growth. Two-things in particular...

By Zachary Karabell

How to Make Sense of the Stock Market's Turbulent Year So Far

Here we go again. From late March 2020 till almost the end of last year, stock markets had been on an extraordinary tear. When the pandemic exploded, market plunged close to 30% in a matter...

By Zachary Karabell

If the Economy Is Doing So Well, Why Does It Feel Like a Disaster?

Want a quick summary of the daily news? Inflation. Labor shortages. Supply-chain issues. Omicron. Partisanship. Gridlock. Biden stalled. Trump ranting.Given that, it’s hardly surprising that many Americans are feeling not so good about the country...

By Zachary Karabell

Why We Should Stop Freaking Out About Inflation

For the first time in decades, we are in the midst of a bona-fide inflation scare. Recent numbers came in at 6.2%, the highest since 1990. With government spending in the trillions and economic activity...

By Zachary Karabell

The Dems Blew Their Moment by Obsessing Over Taxes

After months of false starts and internal divisions, it appears that President Biden and Congressional Democrats are on the verge of agreeing to a spending package to address climate change, childcare, housing, paid family leave...

By Zachary Karabell

China’s Didi Crackdown Isn’t All That Different From U.S. Moves Against Big Tech

It was supposed to be one of the hottest IPOs of the year, the listing of the most dominant ride-hailing service in China, Didi Global. More dominant than Uber, Didi commands almost 90% of the...

By Zachary Karabell

What America's Plutocrats Can Learn From Past Generations

There’s an emerging consensus in America today that the accumulation of vast wealth by a handful of individuals is untenable for our democracy. Balancing the other-worldly success of a few in contrast with the challenges...

By Zachary Karabell

Is the Stock Market in a Bubble?

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere. So say an increasing number of Wall Street professionals, who see the lofty prices of everything from equities to Bitcoin, new homes to the soaring value of newly public companies as clear...

By Zachary Karabell

America's Cities Are in Crisis. They Should be Allowed to Raise Debt to Save Themselves

As the House and Senate move toward passage of a $1.9 trillion dollar COVID-19 relief plan, hard-hit states and local government are poised to receive $350 billion, in addition to billions more to assist in...

By Zachary Karabell

How the GameStop Trading Surge Will Transform Wall Street

For years, professional money managers and hedge funds have tsk-tsked about individual investors. They have dismissed them as “dumb money” and cautioned that so-called “retail” investors lack the acumen and experience to make the right...

By Zachary Karabell

We Need to Bail Out the Cities to Save the U.S. Economy

As the United States heads into its grim pandemic winter, Congress remains deadlocked on passing a new stimulus bill. The main sticking point is what Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell dismissed as “controversial state bailouts.”...

By Zachary Karabell

As Congress Fails to Act, Only the Fed Can Save the Economy

In a seemingly routine announcement, out-going Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abruptly asked the Federal Reserve to return money that it had been advanced earlier this year to make emergency purchases of corporate bonds, municipal bonds,...

By Zachary Karabell

The Economy Is Going to Get Worse

It now appears likely that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States, but the frenzy of Election Day and the subsequent uncertainty has obscured an urgent economic reality: the failure of...

By Zachary Karabell
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